Stuck Together BellaCaius
by DaughterofHadesandNyx
Summary: Updated as promised! Victoria and her army are coming for Bella so Edward sends Bella away to Italy to stay in Voltera. To stay in a palace filled with bloodthirsty vampires. And to make matters even worse, Caius has been appointed to look after her. Crap. Bella/Caius (kinda the same storyline as 'Stuck in Voltera') Bella is a tiny bit OOC Abandoned. Up for adoption... PM me.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Bella

Of all the stupid damn ideas Edward had to come up with _this_ was one of them? To _protect_ me from Victoria and her army of newborns, he sends me to Voltera? Ok, well _escorts_ me to Voltera, and asks a bunch of bloodthirsty vampire aristocrats to look after me? Well done.

After a whole day of non-stop pleading, yelling and crying, I was on a plane to Italy with Carlisle, Esme, Alice and Edward, Alice had had to persuade Jasper to stay behind.

We landed in Voltera in the middle of the day when it was swelteringly hot and the only thing that I kept me from bolting back to the plane was Edward's cool arm around my waist. "Come on. They're expecting us."

Oh joy. Being expected by vampire royalty.

We wound through the streets of Voltera, through crowds of people talking loudly in Italian, they were all human, and if there were other vampires among them- they remained oblivious to the fact. I looked up at Edward, decided to forgive him for a moment, "Are they?"

He understood and nodded. "Felix and Demetri are flanking us, Jane will be waiting for us when we reach the tunnel."

"I still don't think this is a good idea." I told him.

Edward laughed softly. "Did you ever?"

I decided to go back to being mad at him.

~~~(O.o)~~~

The tunnel, was a short tunnel (duh) that led straight down into the depths of Voltera. Jane guided us through some narrow twisting halls and corridors that I knew I would never be able to remember my way through until we reached a pair of large ornate doors that stretched from the floor to forty feet up, touching the ceiling. They looked like they would need fifty bluff men to open. Jane pushed the doors inwards without any apparent effort. Vampire strength.

The hall was filled with vampires. Well not really filled. There were only twelve or so there, and three seated on thrones at the end of the hall. My heartbeat hammered in my ears. Great. If I could hear it, it obviously meant every other damn vampire in this damn hall could hear it.

We approached the three thrones. One of them, the one sitting on the right had brown hair and while his face was handsome his utterly dead expression ruined it. The one on the left had ruler straight long snow white hair, and while his features were perfect, it was disfigured by a scowl of hatred. The one in the middle, who I remembered as Aro, stood. His face was also perfect, and had an almost maniac expression of glee.

"Carlisle!" Aro exclaimed, standing and ghosting over to us. His walk was so graceful he seemed to float an inch above the ground. "This must be your lovely wife Esme!" He said, bowing to her and kissing her hand. Esme was polite enough to not yank it from his grasp. "I received your letter! I see that young Isabella will be staying with us for a while!"

The whole room fell deathly silent. Even my heart seemed to have stopped beating. It was obvious that they hadn't been informed before of my stay. Only Marcus (still looking bored) and Caius seemed to know, but Caius was still giving me the death glare, so it was obvious he didn't approve either. Aro ignored all this. He reached out to shake Carlisle's hand, reading every thought that Carlisle ever had. Sometimes I didn't think it was fair that vampires got special 'powers' along with all their other enhanced abilities.

"Ah…" Aro let go of Carlisle's hand and gazed around at all of us, his hazy stare resting on me. "I see yet again young Isabella is in trouble… This newborn army, do you need assistance in clearing up this mess?"

I was starting to get annoyed with is constant tying up the word young- to my name. Plus my name was _Bella_.

Edward stiffened beside me- obviously reading something in Aro's thoughts. Carlisle replied. "No, thank you. We will be fine. We merely thought it best for Bella to be put out of harm's way in the meanwhile."

"Indeed. Then I expect you should be returning to America soon to see that it is dealt with." Aro stated, then adding, "although perhaps it would have been better if you had changed her."

We all tensed. I had a sudden urge to speak up. "The date is set." My voice quivering only a bit, "In a year, when I graduate."

Aro turned to me. "Of course Isabella. I was merely reminding you of our instructions."

I was shaking. "It's Bella." I said, with more bravery than I thought I had. Edward gave my arm a warning squeeze.

Finally Aro turned away from me, and back to Carlisle. "I'm sure you must be eager to return to your family, and the issue at hand. Let us not detain you for any longer." He said, clearly dismissing them. "_Sooo_ nice to see you all again. Carlisle- Esme- Edward- _Alice…_" I heard the longing in his voice and he said her name. He had always wanted Alice's gift for himself.

Carlisle and Esme embraced me- "We'll be back before you know it." Esme told me. I nodded, trying to look confident. Alice ran up to me too and hugged me so hard I thought my ribs would shatter. "I'll have no-one to go shopping with!" she cried, and then left the hall so suddenly the speed of her passage blew my hair back. Carlisle and Esme gave me small smiles, then left too.

Edward kissed my hair. "Have you got everything?" He asked. I nodded. I had packed a small bag full of the stuff I thought I would need. "I love you." He breathed.

"I love you more." I whispered. "Write to me alright?"

"Always." And then he was gone.

The large ornate doors boomed shut behind them. I turned back to the thrones.

~~~(O.o)~~~

Aro was still staring at me. The whole hall was silent. I shifted my weight from one foot to another, hoisting my bag higher up on my shoulder.

Eventually Aro spoke. "You really do seem to bring out the most extreme of emotions in our kind."

I didn't know what to say, so I merely said a quiet "Um, thanks?"

He gave a light laugh, then turned to one of his hulking guard. "Felix, could you please escort dear Bella to her room and bring her back as soon as she is settled in? I do hope you will stay with us for a long _long_ time."

"Ohkay?" I said weakly, turning to follow Felix.

"Is there something wrong with your heart?" he asked me innocently as he led me out of the room. I realized it was pounding as though I had just run a mile. "No, I'm fine." I replied.

"Indeed. You still smell as lovely as ever."

I didn't know how to take that- as I thought the only thing I smelt of would be sweat- urgh. I hoped the rooms had showers. We took a few turns until we reached a rather low- not very encouraging wooden door. Felix opened it, and gestured for me to step inside. I did. I couldn't hold back a gasp of amazement. The room was beautiful.

There were no windows as we were underground, but there were electric lights stretching across the walls, with a thick carpet on the floor and a magnificent four poster bed in the corner. There was also a desk, closet and bookcase crammed with books and another door on the other side of the room that I assumed to lead to the bathroom.

Felix had heard my gasp and smirked at me. "Come on, drop your bag and we'll get back to the throne room." I didn't call that settling in, but I wasn't going to argue with the huge hulking vampire.

I dropped the bag on the bed and after a final glance at the room, walked back out. "So why did Aro say yes to me staying here?" I asked Felix, struggling to keep up, he walked slightly too quickly for a human.

Felix shrugged. "I guess a favor to Carlisle. He stayed with us a few hundred years back."

It never ceased to amaze me the way vampires treated time so indifferently.

When we reached the hall again, Aro, Caius and Marcus seemed to be in some sort of argument. Or at least Aro and Caius were. Marcus was staring blankly off into the distance.

They both turned around when we re-entered. "Ah forgive me, I did not notice you Bella."

His politeness was annoying me, "It's ok."

He smiled, (again?) "Do join us, you may sit over there, by Jane."

I was horrified, but not about to ignore him, so I walked over to where Jane sat, at the side of the hall and sat down on the very edge of the bench. I knew she hated me.

"So dear ones," Urgh. "Seeing as Miss Swan will be staying with us for a while- I think it is time to discuss her protection. Due to the fact that there are those dreadful newborns running around, and her- fragile state," I winced. This was embarrassing. "I imagine she should be guarded at all times. Does anyone think otherwise?" Aro asked.

No one said a word. I would have been flattered that they all thought so much of my well being but then I realized they were agreeing that I couldn't look after myself. Great.

"So who would like to volunteer for this honor?" he said.

Crap. He called it an honor? Crap. Crap. Crap.

Thankfully no one spoke. Everyone turning away from eye contact with Aro.

"Honestly I really don't need a guard… I don't like being watched." I said eventually, causing the eyes of all the vampires to fall on me. Oh dear.

"Oh but it is your safety at stake here. One cannot deny it is perilous to have a human here amongst so many vampires." I didn't argue, although my mind flashed back to Gianna, the human receptionist from my last trip to Voltera. She hadn't been at the desk when we had entered. Another female human had been there. "And it would be disrespectful of me to ignore your presence here, would it not?" he asked innocently.

I tried mouthing a few words, then merely nodded. It wouldn't be smart to start arguing with him.

I saw Jane shoot me a glare. And I was hoping, not her, not her, not her.

"I wonder…"

_Not her._

Aro spun in a half circle,

_Not her_.

"If _Caius_ would make a fine protector of Bella during her stay."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Bella

My mouth fell open. NOT HIM! I wanted to scream. Was Aro CRAZY?

Evidently Caius felt the same. "You _cannot_ be serious." He whispered, yet the words were just a deadly as if he had his teeth at Aro's throat.

"Do you not agree brother Marcus?" asked Aro, turning to Marcus and ignoring the raging figure of Caius.

Marcus had to drag his attention away from the thin air, and focused on Aro. I thought I saw a flash of amusement in his dead face. Then it vanished so quickly I was sure it was never there. "Hmmm? Yes of course Aro." I wondered whether he even knew what he was agreeing to.

"Then it is settled!" Aro cried beaming like a two year old, "Caius will be Bella's escort and guard during her stay here! Run along now!"

Caius looked furious. Snarls were erupting from his chest, and he looked like Jacob, just when he was about to phase, only a thousand times worse. "I will _not_ spend the next few months attending to this _human_." He spat venomously. He said several other things so quickly I couldn't hear them, and I was rather glad I couldn't. I was just praying that Caius could convince Aro to CHANGE HIS MIND. Caius hated me… I was afraid of him…. Two very good reasons why not to have him with me.

Aro replied and I caught three words. "You owe me."

"Fine!" snarled Caius and sprang at me.

I was vaguely aware of moving, and the wind from the speed of his movement, and then I blinked. I was inside my rented room again. Only this time there was a vampire trembling with rage inches from me. I shook my head, dizzy. Caius was even faster than Edward if possible.

I fell backwards, reeling, sitting on the edge of the bed while Caius stalked around the room breathing heavily. He was tall, around a head taller than me, and in his rage he seemed to be even taller. I just sat there meekly while he paced even though I was tired and jetlagged, it'd be rude to pass out. He'd probably rip my head off for the unintended insult. But his endless pacing made me feel even dizzier, and his yells seemed to come from further and further away until finally, the blackness claimed me.

~~~(O.o)~~~

**_Caius_**

The human passed out. Humans were such a weak inferior species. Did Aro really believe that _I_ was going to be her guard for the next goodness-knows-how-long next few months? Especially this female, she was more trouble than she was worth, and if Aro was not so fascinated by her gift and afraid of offending Carlisle, I would have snapped her neck the moment we entered the room. As it was…. WHY ME? Did he delight in making my life a misery? I knew he did. Why? I never asked any favours of Aro, merely to be _left alone_. Surely that wasn't too much?

And now- I was stuck guarding a _human girl_ just because Aro had said three words. _You owe me_. I did owe him, but still it made me no less content with the situation.

Now the girl was sprawled across the bed in an ungainly fashion.

Argh!

I threw myself into one of the three chairs scattered across the room. Aro even expected me to remain here with her while she _slept_? I scowled furiously, losing myself in my sadistic thoughts. My head jerked up, realizing Aro and Marcus had entered the room. I glowered at them both.

"Still sulking dear brother?" Aro asked me, before blurring to the human's side. "What did you do to her?" he exclaimed, examining her.

I rolled my eyes at him. "She fainted. I do not know why."

Marcus glanced at me with something that looked marginally close to interest. I glared back at him. Let him read my hate for the human. It made no difference.

"Why do you not just kill her?" I asked Aro, who was now straightening out the human's body on the bed. A pointless gesture and also somewhat lacking the compassion that usually was accompanied by such a motion. But then my heart had been dead for several centuries. I wouldn't know.

Aro finished his ministrations on her and turned to me. "You know why brother. As it is, she is quite attractive is she not?"

My eyes widened. Honestly? "You are married brother. You love Sculpia." Love. I did not know what love meant.

Aro raised his eyes at me. "You say that _I_ am married brother? Truly you do not know yourself." What was that meant to mean? "Now I expect you to be with her at all times. If she wishes to go somewhere you must accompany her. Do not leave her side at any time." Aro ordered me.

I growled at him. "Brother, all this effort for one insignificant human?"

Aro fixed me with a penetrating stare. "She will be useful to us in the future. I expect for you to not harm her in any way. Have fun!" The last few words were spoken accompanied by his usual psychotic grin.

Marcus followed him silently.

I drew back an arm to punch the wall, then decided against it. The noise might wake the human and then she would be chattering nonstop and most likely crying over her beloved Cullen boy. It repulsed me to think of one of our kind consorting with a human.

I plucked a book from the bookcase beside me, having nothing better to do. After a while- around seven hours later, I judged by the clock on the wall, the human began muttering meaningless words, strung together improperly. "greek gods…. Hot… Charlie…. just a stupid…. moron…. Jane… no…. Caius…"

I raised my eyes from the book, which in truth I had not really been reading, and frowned at her. Was she dreaming about me? It was a discomforting notion.

"DAMN VAMPIRES!" she screamed, her eyes flying open, and she bolted upright. Her eyes immediately fixed on me. "It's rude to watch people while they sleep." She stated in clipped tones. Yes. She definitely annoyed me.

I did not grace her with an answer. She had sooner learn that I was superior to her, and that I did not have time to speak to mere humans. Although what intrigued me, is that she no longer seemed as afraid of me as she had been before. That was something I had to work on. I stared at her coldly.

After a minute or so she tore her gaze away, and grabbed her bag, stomping over to the bathroom door. Was it really necessary to make so much noise while walking? "What are you doing?" I called out, making sure that my tone was just as hostile.

She turned and shot me a withering look. "I'm going to the _bathroom_. Then I'm going to have a _shower_. I feel disgusting." She slammed the door. I heard the lock click into place.

Apparently she had more nerve than I gave her credit for. Although it meant that she annoyed me even more. I could hear the shower being turned on, and the creak of the glass door. The smell of artificial scents came wafting over to me, orange and lemon. Urgh. Mass manufactured products.

A few more minutes passed and the water was turned off. I could hear the door opening and the sound of rummaging in her bag. The door to the bath room cracked open and her head, water still shining in her hair, peered out. "Could you leave for a minute?" She asked. Perhaps she meant it to sound polite, but it merely sounded demanding. I did not reply.

"Could you leave for a minute, _please_?" she asked again. I wanted to laugh. Odd. I hadn't even given a genuine smile for over two centuries and now I wanted to laugh?

"Fine, could you just turn around?" I made no move to do so.

"Ok, then, just have it your way." The door closed, and then a second later, opened again, the girl stepping out wrapped only in a towel. She edged over to the closet and opened one of the doors. I assumed Heidi had stocked the closet before. Much as she hated the human, she loved clothes more. The human did not look pleased. "You cannot be serious!" I heard her mutter as she yanked the other door open. The whole closet was filled with dresses of all shapes and sizes and dimensions. "Freaking asshole feminist." Swore the girl. Odd. I though women loved dresses.

"Fine." She grabbed one of the plainest black dresses and then rummaged around at the side of the closet. I heard her breathing stop. Withdrawing from the closet, she was holding a see through lacy thong. Her eyes slid in my direction.

I quickly adverted my gaze back to the book. Why should I care what she thought?

Keeping my gaze lowered I heard her sigh several more times before returning to the bathroom. There was silence for several seconds then the sound of fabric tearing and shredding. My eyes narrowed. What was she doing?

Silence again. Then the door opened and I laughed. I could not help it.

Isabella was wearing her previous leggings but her shirt was made of the ragged top half of the dress she had selected. She shot me an appraising glance then settled down on the bed looking at the clock. It was eleven pm. That did not overly concern me, but the human looked worried. She glanced at me again.

"Um, could you leave?"

"No. But why?" I surprised myself by answering.

"I don't like people watching me while I sleep, except Edward."

I was disgusted by her mentioning of the Cullen. "No." I maintained.

"You are a stubborn ass."

A flash of rage burned through me. Before the human's heart had beat twice, I had her pinned up against the wall, my hand at her throat. "You have no authority to be calling your superiors profanities do you understand me?" I hissed at her.

She blinked and nodded. Fear was now radiating from her. This pleased me a bit. I released her and she collapsed to the ground coughing. I returned to my seat.

"Ok then." The girl went to the closet and dragged out all the dresses and… undergarments, and threw them in a pile on a chair, then she pulled a blanket and a pillow from the bed and stuffed them into the closet. Then she climbed in. "Goodnight." She said frostily.

When she had pulled the doors closed I smiled for the first time in a long while. Goodnight indeed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Bella

Damn Caius was infuriating! If I was a vampire I'd have liked to tear out his guts. But then again, I'm not, and he could probably kill me with a twitch of his finger. He'd probably have fun doing so anyway.

_But he can't_. I reminded myself. Aro told him not to. I didn't know what kind of relationship there was between those two but it seemed like Caius had to follow Aro's lead.

He glared at me coldly. I held his gaze for as long as I could stand it, then stood up and grabbed my bag. I walked over to the bathroom, then I heard him speak to me directly for the first time. "What are you doing?"

Was he really that stupid? I shot him a _look_. "I'm going to the _bathroom_, then I'm going to take a _shower_. I feel disgusting." I slammed the door and the lock clicked into place.

I stripped, hoping that Caius wouldn't barge in- a locked door was useless against vampires, and turned on the shower, hopping in. The water was hot, and for that I was grateful. Above ground it was swelteringly hot, but down here in the tunnels it was fricking freezing.

_Edward_.

There were no shampoos or soaps in the shower, and I was glad I had prepared. I had packed some shampoo and soap with me, it would run out in a couple of days… Hmmm, I wondered whether I would be allowed to go out shopping. Alice would get a kick out of that.

Feeling somewhat refreshed, I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, wrapping myself in a fluffy towel that hung on a rack beside me.

My clothes that lay on a pile on the ground stank, and I did not want to be putting them back on. I went to my bag, but there were no clothes inside. I cursed inwardly. I should have prepared before.

Unlocking the bathroom door, I peeked my head out.

"Could you leave for a minute?" I asked him, trying to sound polite.

He didn't move.

Perhaps more persuasion was needed. "Could you leave for a minute, _please_?" I asked again. His face remained emotionless. "Fine, could you just turn around?"

He didn't move.

"Ok, then, just have it your way." I closed the door and made sure the towel was firmly wrapped around myself, then stepped out gingerly. Caius was eyeing me like I was a snack.

I made it to the closet and froze in horror. "You cannot be serious," I breathed. I yanked both doors open.

The huge wardrobe was filled entirely with silk and satin items and they were all _dresses_. I was about to die. "Freaking asshole feminist!" I swore. Whoever filled this thing had better run for their lives. "Fine." Eventually after I had finished making sure there were absolutely _no_ normal clothes in the closet, I selected a black plain one, then rummaged around for undergarments. I found them.

My breathing stopped. The mysterious wardrobe stocker could have been Alice. I straightened up holding a thin, lacy see through thong. I suddenly became very aware of the _male_ vampire in the room. Heat flooded my cheeks as I saw he was indeed looking at me. He lowered his eyes quickly. Thank goodness he had _some_ decency.

Crap.

I sighed, and shoved the thong back in, grabbing more suitable undergarments and returned to the bathroom. I was no way in hell going to be wearing that dress, but I had a better alternative. I grabbed the penknife that Charlie had gotten me two years ago in the hopes I would go fishing with him someday- and cut off the bottom part of the dress. Vampires were damn stinking rich- they could live with one ruined dress.

I slipped the towel off and pulled on the undergarments and makeshift top. There was nothing for it, except to put on my old jeans.

I shoved the rest of the items back into my bag and stalked back out.

Caius was watching me again and he laughed when he saw my shirt. It was a pure sound and quite beautiful, it rang in the air and for some reason it made me feel like smiling. His face, without a glare of hatred on it, was stunning.

What was I doing?

I quickly sat down on the bed, avoiding his eyes. I glanced at the clock. ELEVEN PM! I had been passed out for almost seven hours? An even worse suspicion filled me. If Caius had been here all this time, goodness knows how much he could have heard me rambling on about. Edward had constantly told me how much I talk in my sleep after all. But I was tired, and no way was I going to go to sleep right next to a vampire lord.

"Um, could you leave?" I piped up, hoping he would say yes.

His response was politer than I would have expected. "No. But why?"

"I don't like people watching me while I sleep, except Edward."

"No."

I felt annoyed. Why couldn't he just leave? Was he really that loyal to orders? "You are a stubborn ass."

I saw a fleeting expression of anger fly across Caius's face and then I was pinned to the hard stone wall on the other side of the room. My feet were several inches from the ground, his hand was wrapped around my neck. He could snap it with a twitch of his finger, and worse, he knew I knew he could.

His face was inches from mine, and he hissed venomously at me- "You have no authority to be calling your superiors profanities do you understand me?"

I had no air. I nodded weakly.

He dropped me so suddenly I collapsed to the floor coughing. He returned to his seat, gracefully, as though nothing had happened. I glared at him resentfully. "Ok then."

I still wasn't sleeping where he could see me. I went to the closet and dragged out all the dresses- there were so _many_ of them, and the bras and panties, and dumped them on a chair. The closet was huge and went quite deep, so that would be fine.

I crossed over to the bed, partly wondering whether Caius would stop me, and grabbed a pillow and the blanket.

I stuffed the pillow and blanket into the closet before climbing in after them. It was a perfect fit. "Goodnight." I said as coldly as I could manage. Then I pulled the closet doors shut.

Darkness enveloped me.

~~~(O.o)~~~

I woke up.

I didn't know how long I had been asleep, but the stiffness in my limbs told me it was for more than a few hours. I was dimly aware of voices outside my closet. Who was there?

Shaking the sleep from my eyes, I cracked open the door.

The onslaught of light blinded me momentarily- there _was_ a window in the room- I just hadn't seen it before- and light was streaming in, hot and warm. It just occurred to me then where I was. Voltera. No Edward.

I was going to collapse back into bed, when a friendly voice called out, "Ah, dear Bella," pronouncing my name as Beller, not Bella. "Did you sleep well?"

Aro was beaming at me, standing in the room along with Caius, Marcus and Felix and Demetri.

"Um, It could have been better," I replied, glancing at Caius. His expression was blank.

Aro seemed to think it was an acceptable response and darted over to my side, yanking me out of the closet. I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror above the desk, and was horrified at the state of my hair. It was a bird's nest.

"_Dear_ Caius was just informing me of your stay last night. Did you find him a good host?" Aro continued. I didn't know why he was standing here talking to _me_. Touch Caius's hand and you'd know everything. "Uh, yes?" I answered, casting a sideways look at Caius again. Aro didn't miss that, but seemed to ignore it.

I caught Demetri and Felix smirking at my hair and ripped dress/shirt. I glared at them. Aro noticed that too.

"So… I thought I'd lay down a few ground rules, seeing at you will probably become part of our family here at Voltera." Aro went on. Caius snarled.

"Manners brother," Aro reminded him, retuning to me.

Inwardly I was reeling. Part of _their_ family? I was part of _Edward_'s family dammit, sides most- if not all of the vampires here were probably itching to sink their fangs into my throat, judging by Felix's hungry expression.

"Caius will be with you at all times as your guard, by my order, and you may go wherever you wish to in his company, as long it does not extend past the city's walls, am I to be understood?" Caius was glowering at me. I nodded quickly. "Have fun! Oh, and dear Bella, don't be afraid to come and tell me when Caius isn't forfilling his obligation to you!" Aro swept out of the room cheerfully, only pausing by Caius's side to mutter a string of Italian words. "Non farle del male, ho bisogno di lei potrebbe in futuro. Fratello venire." (Do not hurt her, she may be needed in the future. Brother come.)

Marcus followed him out along with Demetri and Felix, who whispered in my ear as he passed "you look sexy baby." Before ghosting off.

I was left alone with an angry vampire, Aro's words still ringing in my ears. I had been hoping that last night had been a nightmare and Caius wasn't really going to be my 'escort'. Now there was no backing out of it.

When I couldn't stand the silence any longer, I piped up, "So… What do you want to do?"

He turned to me with a look of disbelief. "Well we can't stay in here forever? What do you usually do around now?" I glanced at the clock…. "At one o'clock in the afternoon…" I had slept the whole day through.

"_Usually, _I am in the neighbouring town hunting." He finally replied. Ohkay- not what I was wanting to hear. But it was the beginning of a conversation and I'd take that.

"Why? Doesn't Heidi lure in tasty snacks for all you vampires? So you don't need to y'know, get off your backsides and go out." Why was I taunting him? He could kill me! Unfortunately I couldn't stop.

Caius unexpectedly did not get mad. "No. She only brings in humans for the guard, Aro, Marcus and Sculpia (Aro's wife). I prefer to hunt for myself."

"Okay." I paused, wondering whether or not I should ask why.

He answered my unasked question. "I dislike the image of having everything done for me."

Silence.

He turned away to face the wall and then…. Just stopped moving. I'd seen Jasper do it a lot- forget to move. It was kinda cool- making them look like statues. Unfortunately I couldn't do the same. I decided to sit.

I sat.

Silence.

I was starting to get bored. I began humming.

Humming.

Humming.

Humming.

Humming.

Humming.

"Would you _please_, for the sake of anything you value- _be silent_?" Hissed Caius.

"Fine!" I said, holding up both my hands in surrender.

Silence.

Was it just me or was the clock ticking slower than usual?

Silence.

What should I do? Should I ask Caius to show me around? Unlikely.

Silence.

There was a bookcase full of books right next to Caius. Should I risk it and go get one? I could see Wuthering Heights right there.

Silence.

Yeah. I'm gonna risk it. I got up and walked _slowly_ over to where Caius stood. I reached right past him, and almost hand my fingers on it when….

"What are you doing human?" This 'human' business was pissing me off.

"I'm getting a book." I said, gesturing to Wuthering Heights.

"They why are you skulking around like a ladro?"

"What?"

I heard him mutter something that sounded vaguely like, "Cursed Americans," before saying, "Thief."

"Ok. Well I didn't learn Italian in school, I learnt French and took Spanish for two years, I didn't know I was going to be staying here for half a year ok? So next time if you want me to come to Italy fully prepared with a PHD in Languages and a Masters and Bachelors in a double degree, then EFFING WARN ME!" I exploded.

Caius looked at me like I had just crawled out from under his shoe. "You will be staying here for half a year?" He said in horror.

I stuck my face in his exquisitely beautiful one. "_Yes_. So get used to hating me ok? Because I feel exactly the same way." I whirled around, clutching the book and flounced down in the chair. I opened the book, trying to read, but the page blurred before my eyes. I couldn't focus. Damn Caius. Damn Aro. Damn Jane. Damn Edward. Damn Victoria. Damn EVERY SINGLE FRICKING VAMPIRE IN THIS WORLD!

"That is an interesting speech." I looked up, too shocked to be rude, Caius could read my mind?

"No I can't." His expression was just as cold as ever, but it seemed slightly amused. "But I can when you talk aloud." Crap. I had been saying all of that aloud?

"Yes well I get kinda bored sitting here, and right now my only method of entertainment is annoying you ok? Suck it up."

He turned back to the wall.

I wanted to scream in frustration! I mean I was glad that he wasn't hell bent on killing me, like I thought he would be, but this was even worse! He was boring! He hardly said anything argh!

"You should smile more often."

Caius turned. He had a bemused expression on his face and I grateful that he could actually look somewhat human. He shot me a questioning look.

"Before when you laughed. You are kind of hot for a two thousand year old vampire."

"Hot?" He asked me.

Glad we were actually _talking_ for a change, I replied. "Yeah, hot. You know, cute, sexy, really want to sleep with kinda guy. You really need to get up to speed. For someone who rules the modern day vampire world- you really need to catch up."

His expression was to laugh at. "Geez, you really are a drag." I knew he wouldn't know what I meant.

"You know!" I prompted him, this was funny. "Slang! Drag-boring, shut up- be quiet, idiot-stupid person, moron-same meaning, damn-cursed, pissed-angry, hot-really really sexy…" I shook my head at his ignorance. "What did they teach you in the past two thousand years?" He was getting pissed. I could tell. "Please don't tell me you still use quills!" I joked.

His expression stopped me. "Oh gosh you do don't you?" I groaned inwardly. "What happened to _pencils!_ _Pens!_"

Caius finally regained his ability to speak. "Not two thousand years- exactly two thousand and ninety eight."

Wow. But that was totally of subject. I was _really_ having fun now. It was probably dangerous to provoke a vampire- but this was strangely fun. The expression of wanting to yell at me- but not because of the fear of sounding stupid was truly a sweet sensation. But… It I was getting bored again and I had a feeling not to push my luck too far.

"Didn't Aro say that I was allowed outside?" Anything to escape this room.

"Yes."

"Then come on, let's go!"

"Go where?"

"Go out! Duh!"

He trailed behind me. The difference between the angry 'I will kill you if you anger me' Caius and the now 'Crap what do I do next' Caius was astronomical.

"So, where is your favourite spot in this place?"

"I am not some _slave_ catering to your will. I have no desire to lead you anywhere. My duty is to remain by your side, but that does not infer that I am to _entertain _you, do you understand girl?" he thundered, towering over me. Ohkay. Not as changed as I thought.

I nodded silently. "What about an alternative deal?"

Caius looked at me impatiently. "What deal?"

I rolled my eyes. I seemed to be doing it a lot lately. "Do you vampires always answer a question with a question?"

He snarled. I hurried on. "Ok, so I go wherever, and you just follow me. I don't talk to you, you don't talk to me, everyone's happy. Ok?"

Caius seemed to consider it. "Very well." He replied.

"Ok."

I started walking again. Trying to ignore the skulking vampire behind me. I wandered down several halls until Caius sighed behind me breaking the silence. "If you continue that way you're going to die girl."

Privately I was glad that he had broken the silence. "Why?"

"Because that way is the way to the throne room, and right now my brothers and the guards are feeding. I doubt that in their state they would have any problem with draining you dry human."

"You know, I _do_ have a name."

"Very well, _Isabella_."

"Actually, it's Be-" I sighed, "Ok, you know what, even Isabella's better than 'human' or 'girl'."

I whirled around and stomped past Caius in the opposite direction.

I walked for several more corridors tripping over every single cobblestone in the ground, (seriously, cobblestones?) before I heard him sigh impatiently. "What?"

"Is this clumsiness a particular trait of yours or is it something that you do just to annoy me?"

I really hated Caius. "Well I'm sorry if I don't have your vampire grace. I am, as you keep reminding me- a _human_."

He huffed impatiently.

"Ok, so if I wasn't here, ruining your drab boring life, what would you be doing, right now, apart from hunting."

"Filing reports from other covens."

"Cool! Let's do that!"

"Cool?"

"Yes cool! It means… Oh I don't know- it's an adjective! Can we go now? Because otherwise I am seriously going to tear your head off!"

Caius smirked. "I'd like to see you try." Then set off down the hallway.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: Bella

His pace was _way_ too fast for me to catch up with. He wasn't exactly running, but his stride was at least ten times faster than mine and he was just _walking_. I had to run to catch up. I could almost _feel_ his impatience at my pace and I wondered how long it would be until he snapped.

I tripped twice trying to keep up, and finally the third time I tripped and went sprawling. Caius unexpectedly grabbed me and swung me up bridal style and then sped down the hallways so fast my eyes blurred.

When he stopped I felt like I was going to throw up. Thankfully I didn't. If I had Caius would probably have begun lecturing me on the repulsiveness of my humanity. Vampires can't throw up… Can they?

"Are you going to be standing there all day gaping at me, or are you going inside?"

I was yanked back to earth. Caius was holding open a door and gesturing for me to enter. Blushing furiously I entered. Then I stopped.

His room was... Not what I was expecting. It wasn't that big, but all the walls were filled with overflowing bookcases and scrolls on shelves and it was….. Wow. There were also several filing cabinets at the end of the room, and seven or eight desks lined up in the centre of the room. In fact it looked more like a library than room. There was no bed or bathroom or dresser or even wardrobe…. I knew the bathroom and bed were hardly needed, but it didn't seem like a room without them. And wardrobe? Did Caius wear the same black robes and cloak every day?

Ah well, at least it wasn't the black dungeon hole with coffins and severed heads in the corners.

The door slammed shut behind me. "What? Is my room not suited to your tastes?" snapped Caius.

"No, no, it's just it's amazing… How old are these books?"

Caius stopped, looking as if that wasn't the answer he had been expecting. Finally he replied, "Several hundred years old or more- so don't touch anything."

Then he swept off to one of the desks, yanked out a piece of paper, ink and quill (the irony). And began to write, his hand flying across the paper so quickly it blurred. It was he had forgotten I was in the room. I didn't even exist anymore.

With nothing else to do I plonked down in a corner. Impressed as I was, I couldn't believe that this was where he actually _lived_. This was a study for goodness sakes- did Caius even have a _life_? For some odd reason I wondered if he was married. It seemed so lonely in this room with no-one else there… Nothing except the blank life dedicated to duty. Did Caius even do anything for _fun_? Against my better judgement I began to feel sorry for him. No wonder he was the shrivelled up skeleton of a vampire- all bitter inside, always so cruel and vindictive.

Although if I stayed here I had I feeling I would end up the same. Yes my room was boring, and Caius was hardly entertaining, but honesty sitting here in a corner doing nothing was even worse. Had I honestly thought that _filing reports for other covens_ would be interesting? There was definitely something wrong with me.

I was all for getting up and saying- 'Ok…. Next stop… Something fun!' However it seemed wrong to have asked to come here and witness him in his own natural (or seriously unnatural) environment, then go- 'This is boring. Let's leave.' In any case, _was_ there anything fun in this place? I didn't know and I knew Caius wouldn't tell me if there was. If he even knew what the word 'fun' meant.

Sooo…. What were my options? No touching anything…. No talking- because that seemed to annoy him- fun as it was, I didn't want to push my luck too far. I had to make some part of my situation bearable after all. Six months of this endless boringness would leave me just as loony as Aro.

I got up and walked over to Caius, seeing his shoulders visibly tense. "Do you need some help?"

He looked up in shock.

"It looks like a long… Report." It was true, he was on what looked like the eighteenth sheet of paper, front and back, and his writing was tiny. Each letter was beautifully sculpted and flowed across the page gracefully. It looked like it had been printed from a computer.

"You…. No. I am perfectly capable." Caius dropped his gaze back to the piece of paper, quill zooming over the page. He was on his twentieth piece of paper.

I stood there feeling stupid. "Could I then, um, read a book? I promise I'll be careful and put everything back."

Caius didn't even look up. "Non mi aspetto che tu capisca una parola in metà di questi volumi, però. È già abbastanza brutto la maggior parte delle copie originali sono stati tradotti in lingua inglese." (AN-Translation at bottom of chapter)

"Ummmm , I might as well make it clear that I don't speak Italian…." What was with his constant outpouring in Italian? Was it even Italian? It could be Spanish for all I knew.

Caius, still writing infuriatingly (I wanted to snap the damn quill)muttered another line in Italian then spoke in English, (finally!)"Do whatever. Merely replace each book in its previous position when you are done." Then he went of muttering another line in Italian- or was it Latin this time?

I muttered a quick "Thank you," before quickly walking over to one of the towering bookcases before he could change his mind.

There were tonnes of books, a much larger variety of subjects and genres than there were in my room, but most of them looked like they were written in Italian. As I had pointed out to Caius, I didn't speak Italian. My eyes scanned the shelves for something in English. I saw several versions of Shakespeare in what looked to be Greek, Italian, French and Latin. Not English though.

Reaching the bottom of the shelf, I pulled out a small book that was coated in dust. So much for his love of books. None of these had been touched for what looked like decades. Now that I looked around I realized that everything was coated in a coat of inch thick dust. I didn't think these books had been touched in a long, long, long time.

Dusting off the cover to the little book, I realized it was a notebook, not a proper printed version, more like a diary. Caius had a diary? I flipped it open, knowing it was rude, but unable to rein in my curiosity. The thing I noticed first was that the writing was not his. His had been long and stretched, flowing with each letter linked to the next. This script was just as old, but the style was undoubtedly female. The letters had more space in-between them, and were a lot spikier, unlike Caius's. Intrigued, I flipped over a page.

_Ciao, io possa avere qualcosa da mangiare? Vorrei partire, Grazie,_

_I have been here-_

English! The owner of this notebook had spoken English! I continued reading greedily.

_I have been here for a month and yet the only phrases I understand are above. I grow restless of this constant ignorance. In England I was ranked as a lady. Here I have a position of much more power, yet it is futile without knowing the language of my subjects or associates. Perhaps it is time for me to learn to speak this foreign language_.

There had been a woman here like me? I flipped restlessly through the rest of the book, trying in my hurry to be gentle with the paper thin pages, but merely found notes in both English and Italian. It seemed the mystery writer had been teaching herself Italian. Disappointed that I couldn't read more about the woman, I was about to place the book back on the shelf, until I realized that the notes in itself was a gift. I could- using her notes, teach myself Italian!

I grabbed a copy of what looked like Romeo and Juliet in Italian and settled myself down in the corner.

It was a lot easier than I expected. I had read the book Romeo and Juliet so many times it was easy to match the Italian to the English.

Apart from the detailed notes, there were often some entries in the margin or along the edge of the book that looked like Caius's handwriting. They were all in Italian.

_Quindi questo è ciò che Athena scarabocchia in giorno dopo giorno ... _

I managed to translate the beginning- Quindi questo è ciò che Athena scarabocchia- So this is what Athena scribbles-

I assumed Athena was the woman.

I wondered who exactly she was, why she had come to Italy to live with vampires. Maybe she had wanted to, maybe she was a prisoner or maybe she was like me, human, and hiding with monsters away from demons.

I shook my head, clearing it, then bent my head back down to my task of translating the first page. I muttered several sentences aloud trying to get the ring of it. I had to admit, my accent was terrible. I couldn't even pronounce the first two lines. _Due famiglie, sia allo stesso modo in dignità, __Nella bella Verona, dove abbiamo la nostra scena_,

Ended sounded like- _Doe famile, sa lo stresso modoo in dignata, Nellar bella Verona, dove _(long 'e')_abimmo la nostra secenea._ I guess when I got a job I would definitely _not_ put- 'speaks Italian' in my CV.

I mumbled my way through several lines of Shakespeare, wondering now and again whether Caius used to read these. It was obvious the books hadn't been touched in a while, but I could tell by the spine of the book that someone had read this book many times over.

"…our toil will strive to end," I was trying to pronounce the word strive (_sforzarsi_) and saying it- _see-for-zar-sie _when I realized Caius had stopped writing. The report looked like it was at least fifty pages long, stacked beside him and he was sitting stone still, staring out the window.

Hmm, Caius didn't seem the 'staring out of the window' type. More like the 'stalking around ordering for execution' type.

Just then there was a knock on the door and it flew open, Felix crashing inside. He gave a hasty bow which I though looked ridiculous in his black robes and cloak (Harry Potter Death Eater image ) Before hurriedly explaining himself, "Masters Aro and Marcus are requesting your presence in the throne room Master." The words blurred together by the speed of his speech and I wondered what was so urgent.

Caius gave Felix a cold nod, clearly dismissing him, then glanced at me. "Follow me." Then swept out of the room. I quickly put down both novel and notebook and followed, wondering if there would be a repeat of before, where he would set off at vampire speed, me running and tripping over….

The breath was knocked out of me as Caius slung me over his shoulder and flew at vampire speed down to the throne room.

He unceremoniously dumped me on the floor as we reached the side passageway that would lead us to the hall.

I slumped to the ground, head between my knees, trying to take deep even breaths. Breathe in…. Breathe out…. Breathe in…. Breathe out… Breathe in….

Caius was standing over me. "Are you quite done Isabella?"

I raised my head feeling sure that my face was green. "Maybe if you warned me before you spirited me away! I am _not_ a sack of potatoes if you haven't noticed! I get nausea, motion sickness! And if you do it for much more then I _will_ throw up on you!"

Caius ignored that, grabbing my arm and yanking me to my feet. "When we enter the hall, you will be silent and not speak until spoken to do you understand?" He hissed at me, his grip on my arm becoming painfully tight.

I tried saluting with my free arm. "Sir yes Sir!" I yelled, puffing out my chest.

Caius gave me a look of absolute disgust and released me, walking through the door and into the hall. I trailed behind him, rubbing my arm. I was going to have bruises.

The moment we entered the hall, I saw Caius tense and a look of intense hatred- beyond anything I had ever seen before came across his face. It even paled the look of detest he had been giving me most of the day. His teeth clenched together and I heard him spit out one word.

"Werewolf."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Caius

"Werewolf."

I hated those filthy creatures with every fibre of my being. They were the ones… _They_ were the ones that had killed her…. Tore her to pieces before my very eyes. Forced me to watch her burn.

I had killed them all. Made them suffer like they made her.

But she was still dead.

I was trembling with rage for the third time in the past two days, but this time it was different. A haze of smoke and fire blurred my vision, but I could still see the disgusting beast, kneeling in chains before the three thrones.

Aro was already standing in front of the wolf, reading each thought passing through his mind. I was still shaking. Why did he need proof? It was a werewolf. It had to die.

I reached my throne- to the right of Aro's throne, and sat, trying to restrain myself from leaping forwards and tearing the head of the beast.

I felt heat rising up in me, burning. I tried to force it down. I remembered what had happened last time.

I was vaguely aware of the girl hovering near to the side of me unsure of what to do. I barely glanced at her. My eyes were fixed on the werewolf. It was in human form, it's lank and greasy hair rough and unkempt.

They were vile abominations that should never have been created. They were men with inner wolves that burst forth in a horrible transformation at the full moon, stalking the land and preying without conscience on entire towns and villages. They matched us in strength and speed, even in human form, and as beasts they possessed a cunning and wit that made them all the more dangerous. Unlike us, they not only drank the blood from humans, but they ate the flesh too.

They had killed _her_.

Aro straightened next to the beast's side and drifted back a few paces. "It seems this _beast_ here, is responsible for the ravaging of several towns in England. Complications that now need to be dealt with."

The brute was hurling himself against the chains. He would not be able to break free. Aro and I had been searching for centuries for an element that could withstand our strength and had finally found it seven decades ago. It was now being put to good use.

"Now…" Aro was speaking slightly louder now, "All that remains is to deliver the punishment."

I was leaning forward in my throne now, taunt with anticipation. The beast was _mine_ dispose of. If Aro so much as mentioned Jane's name….

"Caius, if you would do the honours?"

A smile spread across my face.

_Bella_

"Werewolf."

My first thoughts were of Jacob and the pack. Why were they here? They should be in La Push, they had a temporary truce with the Cullens to take down Victoria and her army together. The Volturi wouldn't be very sympathetic to the pack.

Then we entered the hall and I realized the man in chains in the middle of the hall was most definitely _not_ a member of the pack. This was an entirely different beast. For once the term _werewolf_ actually fitted the image.

The man was half naked, wearing ratty torn trousers and not particularly muscular, with a sallow complexion and long stringy brown hair that hung lank around his face. _His face_. The eyes were sunken deep into his skull and the eyes were entirely black. There was no white in his eyes, no colour, just black holes where the eyes were meant to go. He looked utterly rabid.

I tore my eyes away from the werewolf and followed Caius up to the three thrones. Caius was still shaking. What was his utter hatred for werewolves?

Caius sat down in the throne to the right of Aro's, his eyes never leaving the werewolf.

Was it just me, or was he actually smoking? His robes seemed to be smouldering slightly. (Have you got a vauge idea of his gift yet?)

I hovered uncertainly. It would probably be heresy to sit on Aro's throne, but I didn't want to stand there like a dork either. Eventually I just sank down and sat cross-legged next to Caius on the cool marble floor.

I was vaguely aware of Aro speaking. "…that now need to be dealt with."

The man was hurling himself against the chains, straining to get free. I wondered how the chains were holding. His frame looked like it held the same silent strength that all vampires possessed. I wanted to feel sorry for the werewolf, but for some reason- gazing into those horrible black pools, I couldn't. It was utterly savage.

"Caius… If you would do the honours?"

I blinked missing most of Aro's speech. My eyes flashed sideways just in time to see a streak of black and white fling itself at the wolf. I looked on in horror yet amazement as Caius grabbed the man's head and was about to snap his neck when somehow the chains tore free of the ground, sending hunks of marble flying across the hall.

For someone weighed down by chains the werewolf held his own, lunging at Caius. Caius wasn't there anymore. As far as I could tell the werewolf was just and fast as strong as any other vampire, but Caius was a blur whirling around the monster attacking like a hurricane, but judging by the sharp cracks and snaps, the werewolf was losing. Why wasn't Aro asking anyone else to help? All he had to do was tell Jane to use her power, then the fight would be fairly simple for Caius.

But then the fight ground to a halt as suddenly Caius reappeared, his arms wrapped around the wolf's neck. There were gashes across the werewolf's chest, black tar-like blood flowing from the wounds. I knew what was about to happen, and for as second, I saw something in the wolf's eyes. A flicker or humanity.

I knew what was about to happen. But I couldn't look away.

I felt a hand on my shoulder, someone telling me to close my eyes…. I couldn't.

Caius's face was contorted with hate, but then I saw his lips move, mouthing something. And he twisted.

The head of the werewolf fell to the ground, bounced twice, and rolled to my feet.

~~~(O.o)~~~

I tried not to scream.

I was somehow aware that my feet were moving, following someone, going somewhere, doing something…..

I had seen people die before. I had seen James torn to pieces before my eyes, I had seen some of my relatives die before, I had even had Jasper and Laurent try to kill me before, so why was I so stunned?

I didn't know. It wasn't some sort of deep meaning answer, it was just the fact that I didn't know why it had affected me so much. Technically it had nothing to do with me. It was a monster. I didn't care.

Then I realized. That was why it bothered me. Because I hadn't cared. I didn't care that a living breathing person (even if it was a demonic like werewolf) had just been decapitated before my very eyes. I couldn't have cared less. And it scared me.

What kind of a heartless monster was I? I didn't even care that a person had just been killed right in front of me, by someone who was meant to protect me.

The 'protect me' part wasn't really the issue, I knew that Caius was a cruel, vindictive, masochistic, selfish sadist, but the idea that I didn't care left me reeling.

"Are you all right?"

The voice was low and slightly hoarse as though it hadn't been used in a while.

My eyes came into focus and found Aro and Marcus standing over me.

My voice cracked when it answered. "I'm fine."

I found myself in a low wooden bench in the middle of a garden. How had I gotten here? A low breeze sent the scent of roses and freesias up my nose as I breathed in deeply, trying to clear my head.

Marcus was eyeing me with what looked a tiny bit like concern on his dead features. It had been him before who had told me to close my eyes.

Aro was hovering next to him, his ruby eyes bright and his lips perpetually curved slightly upwards no matter what the situation. "So good to see you've recovered!" Beamed Aro, his smile becoming grotesque. "I was worried you were going to faint!"

If the werewolf head wasn't enough, the sight of Aro made me _want_ to faint.

"No," I cleared my throat, then began again. "No, really I'm fine, I saw a vampire ripped to shreds and burned before my eyes… I'm good with this stuff." I tried to joke a bit at the end.

By Marcus's expression he wasn't fooled, but Aro bought it. "Oh yes, James! Edward _was_ very annoyed with him wasn't he?"

I blinked at him, wondering how he knew, before I remembered his gift. I gave him a weak smile. I would have given anything for him to be here now…_ Edward._

I glanced around. "Where's Caius?" I asked. Not that I particularly wanted his company, but I was wondering how Aro had caved to let him go.

"Tiding up." Aro's smile had turned into more of a sneer. I knew exactly what Caius was tidying up.

We stayed that way, me sitting, and concentrating on breathing, and Aro and Marcus standing like statues. The only things that moved were their robes fluttering in the breeze.

Eventually, Aro stirred, his smile reappearing, "I'll leave you two alone now, I must get back to business! Marcus I think you are capable of protecting young Bella!" And he bounced away. Sometimes I wondered whether Aro resembled a two thousand year old vampire, or a two year old child. I'd think the latter.

As soon as Aro had vanished from sight, Marcus seemed to stir slightly. "Walk with me?"

I stood and followed him down the paths.

We walked in silence for a while, me struggling for something to talk about, and him looking casually blank. "What's your last name?" I blurted out.

Marcus faced me, a look of confusion flickering in his face. "That is an interesting conversation starter."

I relaxed slightly. Of the three brothers, I think I trusted Marcus the most. He just seemed…. Harmless. Humane.

"Yes I know, but you haven't answered."

Marcus blinked twice, slowly, before resuming his previous pace. "My last name was D'angelo."

"The angel…" I breathed. (Yes I know- for those who have read Percy Jackson I am sorry, but it was the only last name I could think of that would fit Marcus…)

Marcus once again shot me a questioning look. I hurried to explain. "I found a notebook. I'm teaching myself Italian."

He nodded. "So…. Marcus, Aro and Caius D'Angelo?"

"No. That was merely my last name. Aro and Caius are of different blood." I would never get used to their formality and their ancient speech.

"So technically you're all not really related."

"Not quite. Aro and Caius are in fact blood brothers, I merely married their sister."

I didn't remember any mention of Marcus's wife, I could only recall that Aro was the only one that had a wife.

Seeing my confusion, Marcus answered, "She died a thousand years back in the war with the Romanians."

"Oh."

I didn't say sorry. I knew it wouldn't help, and I knew he didn't want it. Now I understood how lifeless he was. He was a literal zombie. For some reason he reminded me of how I was, when Edward had left. No motivation, no urge to do anything. And when thinking about the past… Too painful.

"Tell me about werewolves." I said eventually.

Marcus gave me a slight smile, nothing more than a twitch of the lips, silently thanking me for the change of topic, before he began to speak. "Werewolves are in some ways quite like us vampires. They possess the same enhanced features and senses as we do when they are bitten by another one of their breed. From what we have learnt they are just as strong and as fast as us and also feed on blood, but for one very important difference. While we only drink the blood, they will feast on the flesh, and when the full moon rises and they transform into wolves, as soon as the blood touches their throats, they lose all semblance of humanity. While we vampires are somewhat the same, with our bloodlust during feeding, we still have some restraint. The children of the moon as we call them, do not.

They do in fact, become animals in every sense of the word. In human form, werewolves cannot speak, and usually prefer to skulk in the shadows, waiting for the full moon to change. There are also several physical differences, while our skin is impenetrable apart from our own teeth and the teeth of werewolves, theirs is not, although they do have an accelerated healing rate."

My mind flashed to Jacob.

"..their eyes are entirely black, as you have seen, and when the moon rises, their eyes become silvery orbs, testament to their madness. One werewolf alone could destroy over a hundred towns in a night to feed."

I swallowed back my bile. Thank God Jacob wasn't one of those werewolves. I wondered if he wasn't, what _was_ he exactly?

"Why does Caius hate them so much?"

Marcus suddenly looked old. His physical appearance couldn't have been more than twenty six, but his filmy red eyes looked tired, as though he was weary of thousands of years alone. "That is his right, and his right only to tell you that."

I knew it was a serious topic, but against it all I laughed. "Caius, tell me anything?"

He smiled slightly, something that looked so sad, even though it was meant to be a happy gesture.

I suddenly realized something. "How come the man- the werewolf in the hall couldn't get free of his chains? You said they're just as strong as you are, so why couldn't he break them? Not that I'm complaining."

He ran a hand through his hair. "A few centuries ago my brothers and myself were curious to test the limits of our strength, and so we travelled to try and find something that could withstand it. Centuries later in some remote town of Africa we found what we were looking for. It was an incredibly dense metal which resisted our every effort to manipulate it. We have not as yet named it, but it has been very useful over the past few centuries in enslaving our enemies."

Truth to be told, I was fascinated. We rambled on about other subjects and I was actually enjoying the walk. So when we stopped an archway that led back inside the palace, I was actually in a good mood even in spite of the fact that Caius was standing in the doorway.

Marcus inclined his head to his brother, "I hope to talk to you again Isabella." He said, turning away to walk down the corridor. He looked so lonely on an impulse I grabbed his arm.

"Be happy."

A wish and a request.

Marcus turned. He studied me for several seconds then they flickered to Caius.

**"**We all try to be."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Bella

Marcus ghosted away down the hallway, leaving me wondering at his last words. "We all try to be." What exactly did that mean? For some reason I thought his eyes flashed to Caius when he said those words. A sudden rush of sympathy and warmth rushed through me. I had a sudden urge to somehow make Marcus smile again. I think he could be my friend… Aro would always creep me out with his constant euphorbia and Caius just plain pissed me off, but Marcus was alright. He was easy to talk to. (Dedicated to **the dark euphie**, thank you for all the reviews!)

Caius just stood there, leaning against the side of the doorway, looking like a skulking angel of death.

I wanted to ask about the werewolf, but I had a feeling he'd rip of my head if I asked. I decided on another topic that was bothering me. "Before in the hall, when you were sitting down…"

Caius stiffened. "Yes?"

"You looked like you were smoking."

His eyes fixed on me, the cloudy ruby irises boring into mine. "Yes, and?"

"Um… Do you have a gift?"

Caius smiled. It was creepy, just like the one that he had worn just before he attacked the werewolf. It didn't reach the eyes, yet it stretched across his perfect face, making him look sinister and evil, it was the smile of a demon before he pounced.

"So the human is not stupid after all."

I was too frightened to correct him.

"Come." Caius turned and began walking down the corridor. He seemed to be in a better mood than before, now just creepy and scary instead of irritated and pissy. Huh. I had a bipolar vampire guard.

Unlike before, Caius was now walking at a relatively slow pace, that I could keep up with if I ran every few steps.

"So in answer to your previous question, yes I do have a gift."

I remained silent, not wanting to push my luck. I was curious. He had been smoking before, and his clothes were smouldering…. "You can manipulate fire right?"

The creepy smile came back. "Yes, I can."

I hadn't really believed it truly until he confirmed it. I was actually kind of in awe. Most of the vampires gifts I'd come across were rather subtle, except for Alec and Jane, mind reading, empath, tracker…. Now the vampire that scared me the most had the scariest power.

"So, seriously? You just burst into flame?"

Caius cast me a sidewards glance. "Not exactly. Why aren't you screaming and running?"

I couldn't believe he actually said that. It sounded a lot like something Edward would say, not the ALL MIGHTY VAMPIRE KING, but I replied anyway. "It wouldn't do me much good if I did would it? You could catch me in a second, sides you aren't going to hurt me."

"And what guarantee do you have of that?"

"I dunno, just the fact that your brother, who is in charge of you happened to tell you to be nice to me?"

Caius snarled, "My brother is _not_ 'in charge of me' as technically I am his elder, and he did not, in no uncertain terms tell me to be _nice_ to you."

Caius was Aro's _elder_? No way. Aro definitely looked older than Caius. "Um… Isn't Aro older than you?"

"Are we here discussing _age_?"

"Um yeah, I guess."

He sighed heavily before replying. "Physically Aro and Marcus are older than I, Marcus sitting at twenty seven and Aro at twenty four. However in terms of years of existence I out span them by two decades."

Wow. Okay, did not see that coming. "How is that possible? How old are you anyway, physically I mean."

"Physically I am twenty one, and it is possible because when I was changed, Aro was only four and Marcus, who I had not yet met, was seven. Two decades later, when I had managed to control my thirst, I changed Aro and our sister Didyme. We met Marcus when we were fleeing Rome and Didyme insisted we change him."

"Oh." It was creepy thinking of a four year old Aro. Also it mean Caius was actually only three years older than me physically! Something was nagging at the back of my mind. "Why were you fleeing Rome?"

"One of my brothers was in the senate and he was murdered. We did not wish to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves, we left to ensure our own survial."

"I'm sorry."

The corner of Caius's mouth tugged upwards. "Do not be. He was a ruthless dictator. He did much for our country, but in the end became drunk with power."

That sounded a lot like Aro, drunk with power. The shock that Caius had actually smiled, (not the creepy kind), and at me no less, left me stumbling for words. He seemed in a better mood than he had been in the whole time I had known him. I wondered if that had to do with the now dead werewolf. There was also something else, something that I'd forgotten, in history class, back at Forks High School…. Something about Rome's leaders….

"Caius." My voice sounded weird. "What is your full name?"

Caius stopped walking, turning to face me. He opened his mouth. "Caius Julius Caesar, older brother to Gaius Julius Caesar, Roman general, statesman, and Consul of Rome."

~~~(O.o)~~~

_Caius_

Truth to be told I was actually enjoying the conversation with the human, or _Isabella_, as she so impertinently demanded. Conversations with Marcus were often short and rather dull, while speaking to Aro was both irritating and taxing with his constant unceasing childlike delight and it was rare that I could restrain myself from attacking him for longer than a few minutes conversing with him.

However this Isabella, who chattered on and on incessantly about completely useless and unnoteworthy (is that a word?) subjects, was quite amusing.

Amusing? That was odd, I had not been _amused_ for several centuries.

"So, seriously? You just burst into flame?"

What did she think I was? Besides, the last time I had done that….. "Not exactly. Why aren't you screaming and running?" Had I really just said that? For the past ages I had never said a word more than I needed to in order to get my point across and now I was asking the human a ridiculous and pointless question?

"It wouldn't do me much good if I did would it? You could catch me in a second, sides you aren't going to hurt me."

Truly? She was not afraid of me? I could snap her neck before she even realized it, and yet she was claiming that I would not hurt her? "And what guarantee do you have of that?"

"I dunno, just the fact that your brother, who is in charge of you happened to tell you to be nice to me?"

What? A flare of rage burnt through me. My brother was most certainly not my superior. I could do what I liked. This was merely a favour to him…. "My brother is not 'in charge of me' as technically I am his elder, and he did not, in no uncertain terms tell me to be nice to you."

Why was I arguing with her? She was beneath my notice... And why, above all, did she make me question myself?

"Um… Isn't Aro older than you?"

Ignorant human. "Are we discussing age?"

"Um yeah, I guess."

I sighed, I _never_ explained myself to someone, much less a mortal, "Physically, Aro and Marcus are older than I, Marcus sitting at twenty seven and Aro at twenty four. However in terms of years of existence I outspan them by two decades."

"How is that possible?" The human was gapping at me, she really was irritating. "How old are you anyway, physically I mean."

Were all humans this questioning? This was exactly why they were nothing more than substance to us. "Physically I am twenty one, and it is possible because when I was changed, Aro was only four and Marcus who I had not yet met, was seven, two decades later, when I had managed to control my thirst, I changed Aro and our sister Didyme. We met Marcus when we were fleeing Rome and Didyme insisted we change him."

"Oh. Why were you fleeing Rome?"

My mind flashed back to the night, screams and yells of the Roman army, storming our house, the urge to turn and destroy them all….

"One of my brothers was in the senate and was murdered. We did not wish to draw unnecessary attention to ourselves."

"I'm sorry." The human actually looked sorry. _She_ was sorry for _us_? Clearly she needed enlightenment. Besides, the death of my brother was hardly a loss.

My mouth curved into what I realized was the first genuine smile since…. Her death. I was stunned for several seconds. "Do not be. He was a ruthless dictator. He did much for our country, but in the end became drunk with power."

"Caius." Isabella's voice sounded strangled. I realized it was the first time that she had spoken my name. It annoyed me when I realized that she was addressing me as though I was her equal, rather than her superior. "What is your full name?"

It would be rather pleasing to put her in her place. Inwardly smirking at what was approaching, I spoke. "Caius Julius Caesar, older brother to Gaius Julius Caesar, Roman general, statesman, and Consul of Rome."

~~~(O.o)~~~

"OH MY GOD!? !#? !? #?!# ?! #?!"

The girl screeched as such a pitch I could have sworn I saw the windows tremble.

"For real? You were Julius Caesar's _older brother_? OH MY GOD! THIS IS SO WEIRD! What was he like? Did you get to see him a lot while he was off destroying other countries? How would you describe him?! Was he a dictator at home too? Was the he reason you're like this cold hearted bastard?! Did you get to go to the senate with him? THIS IS SO COOL!"

The flow of words sprouting from the human's mouth were like a dam of water, her lips moving too fast for even I to make out the words.

Trying to speak over the chaos, I yelled, "Will you _please_, _shut up_!"

The human shut up, and looked at me smirking. "And what, may I ask, has caused you to wear that expression?" (note that when Caius is pissed he refers to Bella as 'human' or 'girl')

The smile grew wider. "You just said shut up."

"I beg your pardon?"

"It's not appropriate of a man of your station to beg. Especially seeing as you're my superior."

"….." I was about to reply when I realized she was mocking me. I was slightly stunned when I realized I wasn't angry. Irritated, annoyed, exasperated, but not angry.

I decided not to reply, I didn't trust myself that much, and if I ripped of the girl's head, Aro would be less than pleased with me.

I whirled around and resumed my pervious pace. I could almost feel the girl's smirk growing wider.

Eventually she _had_ to begin talking again.

"So where are we going, all mighty brother of Julius Caesar?" She was running again, trying to keep up with my pace, and tripping every few steps. Her clumsiness alone made me want to tear off Aro's head for making me this girl's escort. I had better things to do than care for a rude, impertinent human girl. She had seemed to get over my identity fairly quickly.

My fists clenched subconsciously. "Aro's chambers, apparently my presence is requested once more. "

"Okay, but it looks like it's around ten o'clock, and we humans need to _sleep_."

Isabella _did_ look tired, but that was none of my concern. "It is not my burden to have you properly rested, as it is you have already slept the whole day through previously. I hardly think it is necessary."

Of course then Isabella had to begin talking yet again. "How would you know? The last time you slept was over two thousand years ago! I've got jetlag! Once Renee went to Florida, and she slept for three days straight, I thought that she had gone into a coma, so…."

I stopped trying to listen and concentrated on keeping my pace slow enough for Isabella to keep up. I wondered as to why I was unwilling to simply sling her over my shoulder and reach Aro's chambers in merely a few seconds. By walking it would take at least six minutes. Since when did I care for others?

I decided not to answer myself.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: Bella

GOD, Caius was irritating! I _had_ just had a decent conversation with Marcus, and was then in an alright mood, and then I wind up here, trailing after Caius Julius Caesar, the name proof that he was a cruel vindictive bastard. Julius Caesar probably got most of his dictator-like behaviour from Caius's example.

I really _was _tired, and now we had to go see what the hyper maniac Aro wanted. Then, when Caius refused to let me sleep, I started blabbing on about our trip to Florida and Renee's three day nap. What the hell?

For some reason or another, Caius hadn't rudely picked me up and carted me off to Aro's room, probably under the threat that I throw up on him. Nice to know I was having an impression. However the six/seven minute walk to Aro's rooms made me even more tired, until I was practically sleepwalking. I wish I had my iPod. Temple Run always woke me up. (dedicated to my best friend NN, who loves Temple Run)

On the way I realized that my hair was still just as messy as it was nine to ten hours ago when Felix laughed at me. I had been walking around the whole day with ragged uncombed in a castle full of vampires. I reminded myself of Alice in Wonderland with the Mad Hatter (Aro), the Queen of Hearts (Caius- for the 'off with their heads' quote), a much scarier version of Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Jane and Alec) and various other assorted weirdoes.

Huh. I wasn't usually as irritable as this. I guess jetlag and exhaustion really brings out the worst in people. I wonder if it's a disease. If that's the case then Caius had permanent jetlag. Funny, coz vamps don't sleep. Hardy har harr.

What was I, a pirate?

We reached Aro's room, which was a solid gold door (really, this guy liked things _expensive_. He was even worse than the Alice) with carved initials, AV. _Aro Volturi_.

To tell the truth I was expected AJC. _Aro Julius Caesar_…. But it didn't sound quite right. I wondered why Caius's door didn't have a gold 'CV' on it.

The door opened and Aro's beaming face peered out.

I vaguely heard Aro greeting us and asking various questions about various topics that bored me in various ways. I answered them all with a yawn. I was too tired to be bothered about whether I was polite or not.

Eventually Aro gave up on me and turned to Caius. They began to talk, their conversation starting out at a human pace, then it got faster and faster, until they were talking vampire speed, too soft and fast for me to pick up on the topic. I heard a few scattered words like "Romanians…. Allies…issues … Heidi perhaps….."

I was beginning to drift off when suddenly a roar jerked me back into reality.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND ARO?"

I blinked several times to clear my eyes. Aro's face, for once clear of faux joy, looked tense and wary but had an unexpected character to it, and for a split second I could see how he was the leader of the Volturi.

Caius was storming around the room gesturing wildly. "You want to send our guard off to help Carlisle in America? The threat is _here_, Aro, the Romanians will pounce the moment the guard leave Voltera!"

Neither of them seemed to realize that I was listening.

"Exactly why _we do not let them know_." Aro's voice was thick with sarcasm. "If we elimate the Romanians, which will come at a cost, and the newborn threat attacks us at our weakest, we could be overthrown!"

Caius growled, and punched the wall. It was an impressive gesture as the impact of the fist made the wall cave inward and chunks of rock, dust and grit crumbled down.

"I would thank you not to destroy my room." Aro's voice was cold.

Only then did it occur to me that this was actually _Aro's_ room. I liked his room infinitely more than Caius's. It actually looked like it was lived in.

There was a red/gold four poster king sized bed in the corner- the use of which I didn't want to know, (just in case you're confused-because my BFF who proofread it was- Aro has a _wife_… Get it now?) doors that I assumed led to the bathroom and wardrobe, oil painted portraits and landscapes on the walls and colourful draperies hanging from the ceiling. There was a warm glow surrounding the room from various oil lamps and a _huge_ crystal chandelier that hung from the celing reflecting rainbows against the walls. It was obvious that the room was decorated by a woman, probably Aro's wife. She would have gotten along well with Esme. The only things in the room that seemed to belong to Aro, were a mahogany bookcase and a desk overflowing with paper.

"You seem to be missing the point _brother_," Caius snarled venomously. "Our role is not for our individual survival. Our _purpose_ is to protect our race from exposure to the humans, and as of now, the Romanians are the bigger threat to that, regardless of possible losses. Carlisle is perfectly capable of handling the newborns. They have experience with them, the seer's mate- the god of War."

The seer… Alice? Jasper? Jasper was the_ god of War_? I knew he had fought in the newborn wars, but wow…. That was new. Another thing I learnt, apparently Caius wasn't the power hungry freak, he was actually just _really_ devoted to the law. Huh.

Aro ignored Caius. "Would your aversion to helping the Cullens be because of their alliance with the shapeshifters and their slight semblance to the werewolves?"

Shapeshifters….. Jacob!

Caius roared, and before my eyes could catch the movement, Aro was pinned up against the wall that Caius had just punched, his hand at his neck. Was it just me or was Caius's hair steaming? There was smoke ever so faintly drifting upwards from Caius's white/blond locks.

"Do. Not. Test. Me." He snarled, then released Aro.

Aro dropped lightly to the ground, massaging his throat. He glared at his brother. "And you would do well to remember that I was the one who av…."

His voice dropped so low I couldn't hear anything else, but the effect on Caius was striking. His shoulders slumped ever so slightly, his hair stopped smoking and the fire in his eyes went out. He replied just as quietly- the most placid that I'd ever seen him.

Then he continued, louder, "But I stand by my opinion. We need our forces _here_, to deal with the immediate threat."

Aro glanced at him warily. "You need to control yourself brother. Remember what happened last time."

"That is hardly the point." Caius's voice was ice cold. What were they talking about? What was this with all the 'last times' and the mysterious debt with the IOU's and the UOMe's? I had a feeling it had something to do with Caius's gift, werewolves, the mysterious owner of the notebook- Athena- and something about an attack from the Romanians all mixed up into a mess.

"Regardless brother, do you really assume the threat to be immediate? They had made no significant moves against us yet. Nothing is certain as of yet. If we destroy the newborns in America beforehand we can then regroup and be fully prepared for the Romanians."

Caius was losing his cool very quickly. "Does this have something to do with the fact that you are _afraid_ to not aid Carlisle and his incompetent coven? Is that why you have stooped yourself to agree to sanctuary the _human_?" Caius spat the word 'human'.

A flare of anger rushed through me. He had made his dislike of me perfectly clear, and now he was insulting Carlisle and myself right in front of me as though I didn't exist?

"I'd really appreciate it if you didn't insult my family right in front of me." I tried to make my voice as frigid as possible.

Both vampire lords turned to me. A flicker of surprise flitted over their faces at the fact that I wasn't asleep, before they were replaced with several different emotions- Aro, perplexed that I had referred to the Cullens as my family, Caius, annoyed at my interruption. It was obvious I was not meant to have been listening. For vampires, they weren't very observant.

"Ah, Bella," Aro beamed eventually. "We didn't realize you were awake!"

Yeah, thank you Captain Obvious. "Okay…" Be cautious… Be cautious… Caius, the bipolar vampire has just punched a hole in the wall… Not a good time to make him pissed…..

"I assume you are tired yes?"

Uh, _duh_! Of course I'm tired. State the obvious much Aro? "Um, yes…"

Caius gave Aro a brief nod, "We will resume this discussion at a later date brother."

I knew he meant later, when I wasn't around.

Caius grabbed my arm and steered me forcefully out of Aro's room. A female vampire, heartbreakingly beautiful with flowing black hair wearing a long cocktail salmon dress winked at me in the hallway and swept into Aro's room. A moment later I heard a dismayed cry and sounds of scuffling, as though someone was being restrained. "Caius!" the woman yelled in bell like tones, "I'll kill you!" I could hear Aro's laughter in the distance.

"We can fix the wall later, why don't we do somethi…" Aro's voice faded into the distance.

Caius actually seemed slightly anxious as he dragged me down corridors and dark staircases. "Sculpia." He muttered as an explanation. "Aro's wife."

She seemed nice enough. I wondered how she had ended up marrying Aro.

"So what's up with the Romanians?" I asked, curious as to why Aro had looked so serious before. I had thought that the only two expressions on his face were insanely happy, or demented happy.

Big mistake.

Caius yanked me to a halt, "What you heard or saw in that room does not make it past those walls do you understand me?" He hissed.

"Yeah, yeah, ok, sure! I'm not a gossiper you know. And if you didn't want me to know, then you shouldn't have brought me along." I complained, trying to break free of his iron grip.

Caius yanked me closer to him until his filmy ruby eyes were mere centimetres from my own. _Now_ I was afraid. "What business matters Aro and I have are none of your concern you do understand _mortal_?"

"Okay, okay, sure! Will you let me go now please? You're hurting my arm!" I wined, trying to wiggle away.

He released me and began to walk away, this time going too fast _again_.

I ran to keep up. "So, where are we going now?"

I hadn't really expected him to reply, him being all in 'jerk Caius' mode, but he replied anyway. "Your quarters. I believe you said you required rest."

Oh my gosh he remembered! That was unsettling. "Oh, yeah. Thanks." I was however feeling a lot more awake though than before.

We walked for a few more hallways until he broke the silence. "I will send Jane to fetch you more appropriate apparel."

I glanced down at myself, wincing inwardly at my ragged clothing until I realized something. _He noticed_? I felt a rush of warmth. "Thanks!" I said brightly, grinning at him.

Caius's pace slowed by a fraction and he turned his blonde head to cast me a suspicious glare. "And what, pray tell, has led you to leer in such a manner?"

I had to repeat his words several times until I got it. His old fashioned speech was really getting to me. Still, it wasn't enough to ruin my good mood. "You noticed!"

His steps seemed to falter slightly, but is reply, as ever, was disappointing. "I merely dislike the idea of you trailing after me dressed like a vagabond. It is disgraceful to the image of the Volturi and to me."

Yeah. About that feeling of warmth….? It's gone. Caius really knows how to kill it.

We walked in silence to my room, or 'my quarters' as he put it, and apparently someone had been in as the huge pile of inappropriate underwear and flimsy dresses were gone. Relieved as I was that they were gone, I was actually disappointed that there was nothing left for me to wear to sleep in. I felt so grimy I would even have caved to put on one of the lighter dresses to sleep in.

Pointedly ignoring Caius I walked straight to the bathroom and slammed and locked the door. To my surprised pleasure there was a large t-shirt and sweats on the counter. A small card was sitting on top.

_Nice shirt. I thought these might be more suitable for your taste than what I got you before._

_-Jane._

Jane? I thought she hated me!

Ah well, forget and forgive…. She _had_ just gotten me some _clean_ clothing after all.

I showered quickly and was disappointed to realize that I had already used half of my shampoo. That was weird. It was a new bottle and I'd only been here a day. Was my hair _really_ that grimy?

Stepping out I changed swiftly into my new clothes, relishing the feel of the rough cotton. I yanked a brush roughly through my wet hair. For the first time in Voltera I felt almost happy.

That was of course until I stepped outside the bathroom and saw Caius solidly sitting in his previous chair. He could have won a competition with me for stubbornness.

Well _I _wasn't going to back down.

As I walked over to the closet I realized there was something next to the dresser that looked a bit like a fridge. Changing course I realized it was a mini-fridge filled with beer. _What the hell_?

I didn't drink. The closest I'd gotten to being drunk was with Jake and even then I had only drunk half the can. Why was there a mini-fridge stocked with beer? I mean they didn't even provide me with shampoo or soap, but they get me a fridge full of beer? (and don't think I'm just throwing this in here for the sake of it, it'll come up later XD)

Well I wasn't going to give them the satisfaction of asking why. Hmmm. Could vampires get drunk? Caius was still watching me and it was creeping me out. I suddenly felt self-conscious in my comfortable t-shirt and sweats.

The feeling of homesickness overwhelmed in in a sudden rush. I almost ran back to the closet and slammed the door, seeking refuge in the darkness.

~~~(O.o)~~~

I woke to the sound of someone knocking on the door.

It took me a second to realize that it was the door of my room, not the door of the closet.

Why wasn't Caius answering the door? I was _sleepy_.

The knocking continued.

With a groan of exasperation and defeat I stumbled out of the closet rubbing my eyes.

Caius wasn't in his customary seat by the bookcase was the first thing that I noticed and the second thing was that the person knocking still hadn't come in. That was odd. Being a vampire they could just have knocked the door in.

Or, seeing as the door was unlocked, just walked in.

In any case…. I walked over to the door and yanked it open. If it was Caius I was going to rip his…

"Oh hi Jane…" What did she want?

"Hi Isabella!" The small blond vampire who stood a head shorter than me seemed as shy and awkward as I did. That was new. "Um…. I went shopping and brought you some new clothes!" She chirped up brightly.

At that I saw at least ten shopping bags behind her. She was like a mini Volturi version of Alice. That was… Sweet.

"So… Can I come in?"

I realized I was blocking the doorway quite rudely. I moved aside quickly. "Yeah, sure! I… Thank you- for the clothes, I appreciate it. And it's just Bella."

Jane bounced into my room, looking slightly ridiculous holding so many shopping bags. I quickly grabbed a few and dumped them on my bed gesturing for her to do the same.

She plonked down on my bed her legs swinging childishly. I followed her more cautiously. This was a bit _too_ nice for someone who I thought hated my guts.

"So Is-Bella, um, I think we got off on the wrong foot, um, and seeing as you're going to be staying for a while, I was wondering if you'd like to be friends?"

She gave me a uncertain but hopeful smile.

I couldn't help but grin back. She reminded me so much of Alice. "Sure! I'd love to be!"

Jane gave a squeal of delight and dragged me into a bone crushing hug. "Um, Jane- ribs- cracking- Ow- can't- breathe-"

Jane instantly released me. "Sorry! It's just I haven't had any friends for over three hundred years. Everyone here is afraid of my power, and the Masters… Well they're my superiors, not really my friends."

I felt a rush of sympathy for Jane. She was trapped an eternal fifteen year old with no friends because everyone was scared of her power. Everyone except me.

"Why did you hate me so much in the beginning?" I couldn't help asking.

"I didn't really hate you, at first I was angry that you, a human, couldn't be affected by my gift, then I was frustrated because after three/four hundred years I find a potential someone who wouldn't be afraid of me, and she's about to be killed. So I didn't let myself get attached to the idea of you being my friend."

I grabbed Jane's stone cold hand. "Well I'm here now! And I'd love to be your friend!"

We sat there beaming like two twin idiots. I had a friend here in Voltera.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: Bella

"So where's Caius?"

"It's Friday."

I shot Jane a confused look. What did it being Friday have to do with anything?

"Fridays are when the three Masters 'hold court' and dish out punishments for criminals or offenders. They also on rare occasions listen for pleas of help from covens and convene on whether or not to deal with possible threats to reveal our existence."

My mind flashed back to last night and the whole talk about the Romanians. I was about to bring up the subject until I remembered Caius's warning.

I swallowed down the words and decided to ask a different question. "Who are the Romanians?"

Jane stiffened by my side. I didn't think she would answer until she did. "The Romanians were the former rulers of Voltera, their two leader's names were Stefan and Vladimir. They held our position of power in the past and used it to their advantage. They ruled the other vampire covens and nomads like dictators until a thousand years back when Aro, Caius and Marcus overthrew them. The Romanians had lost but as a last resort they kidnapped Aro and Caius's sister, Marcus's wife Didyme and demanded that they surrender."

Jane paused, as though trying to remember, but in reality trying to steady herself. I'd seen the look before on Charlie's face when he was about to tell a family the bad news. I knew this story wouldn't have a happy ending.

"Before they could decide though, Didyme threw herself into the fireplace so her family wouldn't have to choose. She burned to death before their eyes. The Volturi won then but the Romanians escaped to hide in Romania (kinda obvious) and have been trying to overthrow us ever since."

I felt like crying. No wonder Marcus was so dead-like. She'd committed suicide right in front of his eyes. For a good cause admittedly, (depending on your point of view, in case you don't like the Volturi) but still.

Suddenly Jane sat bolt upright, and turned to me. "Can I please dress you up for today please, please, please, please, please?" Her words were blending together by the speed of her excitement. "I have got the most gorgeous outfit in one of these bags and it would go perfectly with you!"

Yup. Definitely an Alice.

As Jane started digging into the bags, she began throwing random items at me telling me to try them on, then snatching them away a moment later with an excuse of having something better, until finally after two hours, I was dressed in faded white skinny jeans with a pale blue button up blouse and half of my hair was up in a fish-tail plait while the rest hung loosely, sleek and shiny over my shoulders. I wore a pair of sneakers (more suitable than heels to be running to keep up with vampires) and I had a few touches of makeup applied by Jane. I looked great.

Certainly an improvement from yesterday.

Jane was wearing a pair of jeans too, hers a dark blue colour which contrasted with the one-shoulder burgundy red top that she wore that brought out the intense red in her eyes.

During the intense 'makeover' session, I had learnt that while totally obsessed with clothes, Jane liked more _practical_ good looking clothes. Clothes that looked great but were useless didn't really go high up in Jane's esteem. She also tried to go more for _comfort_ than Alice. Jane was fun.

Apparently it was Heidi who had persuaded Jane to fill my closet with dresses and offensive lingerie before. Her head was MINE.

I didn't really feel like exploring so I asked Jane to tell me about herself. Apparently she and Alec were twins and born in the middle ages in England. Their father was the leader of their small town where the most feared were witches. Their mother was accused of being a witch and was burned alive by her own husband when they were only seven.

Alec whose gift was to create a fog that cut off all five senses, as a human had always been able to block out pain, or numb his own senses when their father beat them in his drunken rages. Jane when she turned eight, discovered that when she was angry with someone, they would get intense blinding headaches. They were sentenced to burn at stake on their fifteenth birthday after their father accused them of being demons.

Aro and the Volturi had been passing by when they happened across the town and stopped to feed. Aro on a whim had saved and turned the two of them just as they were about to be burned.

"You know Aro's not really that bad."

"What?"

"Aro," Jane continued. "He may be a power hungry guy who will stop at almost nothing to get what he wants, but he's actually really nice. Eccentric and a bit loony and very obsessive but ruling a coven this huge takes its toll right?"

I had to think about it. Creepy as he was, Aro hadn't really given me much reason to think badly of him. (Except for the fact that a few months ago it was either die or become one of the undead)

It also occurred to me that while Jane just looked like a kid- three years younger than me, she wasn't. She was someone who I could trust to be there for me in the six months I was here for. Inside, Jane wasn't the sadistic bitchy girl I thought she was.

Something soft hit me and knocked me sideways off the bed.

"What the?" I struggled upright, brushing strands of hair out of my face. Jane was holding a pillow in her hand her ruby eyes twinkling.

"Oh no you didn't."

Jane tossed me her pillow and grabbed another. "Pillow fight?"

"Nah uh. You're gonna cheat with your vampire strength and speed."

Jane looked at me with puppy dog eyes. "C'mon, _please_? I promise, cross my dead heart that I won't cheat okay?"

I was tempted. I didn't have pillow fights with Edward, he'd be too _mature_ for that, Alice wouldn't because it'd mess up her makeup, or hair, or clothes, or accessories, or whatever… Emmett wouldn't because he'd crush me and I'd only ever had a pillow fight once with Jake before he turned into a wolf and Edward came back and he'd stop talking to me.

"You're on!" I yelled, lunging across the bed, scattering bags everywhere, pummelling Jane with my pillow.

She squealed in shock and wiggled free, retaliating by hitting me with her own pillow. I elbowed her in the gut- giving myself a bruise, damn vampires were hard- and struggled upright. Jane lunged for me knocking me down, my pillow tearing underneath her fingernails. Feathers were everywhere.

I was laughing now. This was _fun_! I dug my nails into her pillow too and with a muffled ripping sound, Jane's sight was obscured by hundreds of feathers.

I tried to pin her down, but she rolled sideways snagging the sheet off the bed and entangling us both in it. We were now just basically failing around, trying to hit the other, not really having any idea of where anything _was_. I lost my grip on my pillow and was just free of the blanket when the door opened.

~~~(O.o)~~~

Jane had just gotten to her feet, her hair filled with feathers and a fading smile on her face. "Felix, Demetri."

My first thought was that them two were always together, like the two evildoers, buff and brains. Emmet and Jasper.

"We thought we heard someone getting some, and we thought we'd barge in to catch them in the act. Jane, I didn't know you were gay." Demetri said it all with a perfect poker face.

Did he just say what I thought he just said? The feathers were floating down now, making a nice blanket of white across the room.

Suddenly Felix broke into a smile and smirked at us, "We're joking! Geez you girls need to calm it down a notch. We heard there was a pillow fight in progress, are there any spaces available?"

Felix was definitely an Emmett.

I considered. Provided Felix didn't crush me…. "Ok, you're in. Grab a pillow. Rules are this- do not break the human, and no cheating by using vampire strength or speed okay?"

Felix blurred to the bed, snatching a pillow up. He eyed me evilly. "Piece of cake. You're going down Swan."

"You're going down…er, Volturi guard…. Thing." I stumbled over the words. A. I didn't know whether 'downer' was a word, B. I didn't know Felix's last name.

"Pathetic." Felix was running a tongue across his perfect painfully white teeth.

"Boys against girls?" Jane challenged suddenly. "We win, you guys need to go around wearing the 'Stupid' and 'Stupider' t-shirts for a month."

I glanced at her. 'Stupid' and 'Stupider' t-shirts?

Jane grinned at me, "A Christmas present I got them two years ago."

Demetri appeared on the other side of the bed, tossing a pillow from one hand to the other. "And if _we_ win, you girls will run around the throne room fifty times…. Naked." He looked at us maliciously. "You can still back out darlin's."

My breathing stopped. "What?"

Jane was glaring at them both. "I knew you'd get back at me for that." Then in an undertone that I knew the other vampires could hear perfectly well, "Last time I challenged Felix and Demetri to a fight between me and Alec without our gifts, they lost and had to run around the throne room human speed naked."

I laughed with her. Did I want to risk losing? I was just a human versus two giant vampire dudes. Then I saw Jane out of the corner of my eye, her eyes flashing defiantly.

It was only a few laps around a throne room naked, who cared?

"I have another suggestion."

Felix raised his eyebrows. "Yes?"

"The loser does both. And they need to run around the throne room a hundred times, not fifty, at human speed. Break the rules and you automatically lose." I was grinning wildly, trying not to think about what would happen if we lost." I stuck out my hand to Felix. "Take it or leave it."

He hesitated a bit before his eyes tightened. He shook my hand. "We accept."

My grin grew even wider.

"Excellent."

I saw Jane shaking hands with Demetri and then we attacked.

~~~(O.o)~~~

To say the least Felix kept his promise, but he wasn't particularly gentle all the same. He charged me, and knocked me across half the room before I could scamper free and start throwing things at him. A hairbrush, hair straightener, nail polish, bag of accessories and a hand mirror all went his way. My aim, being the same as usual, meant that everything I threw missed.

Then Jane tackled Felix, sending him crashing to the ground and I was facing Demetri. He was snagged in the blanket that was on the floor, the closet doors askew, and I didn't waste my opportunity. I snagged a fairly intact pillow and launched myself at him, pounding mercilessly on his head and torso.

I knew with vampire strength he could have easily thrown me off, but if he did he would be forfeiting the match.

With a sudden heave he threw me off sideways so that now I was under the blanket with him on top smothering me with his own pillow. "Do you surrender?"

I kneed him in the 'between the legs' area and flipped him over again. "Do you?"

Felix suddenly slammed into me, and then we dissolved into a blur of laughter, pillows, blankets, shrapnel from around the room and feathers.

Sometimes I was attacking Felix, then I was defending against Demetri, and all in all it was the most fun I actually had…. Ever. Even with the Cullens. Even with Jake.

Demetri had surrendered after I kicked him in the balls for a second time (and I know them being vampires they probably wouldn't have felt it, but too bad, in this FF they're going to have a weakness.) and now it was just me and Jane after Felix even though it was obvious we had already won. He was persistent, I'd give him that.

Now me and Jane were perched on top of him, hammering at him with our pillows. "Do you surrender?" I yelled at him. It seemed appropriate to yell.

He bucked violently, causing me to fall off him sideways facing the door.

I froze, my smile fixed in place, my pillow falling to the ground.

Jane was still struggling with Felix.

"Um, Jane…."

"Yeah, Bella? What?"

I felt backwards with my hand until I came in contact with her shoulder. I yanked her around so she was facing the direction of the door. "We got company."

"Oh yeah! Oh yeah baby! I won, I rock this world now I get to see you girls dance naked across the… throne…. room…." Felix sat up his cocky expression melting into one of complete horror.

Aro, Caius and Marcus along with the rest of the guard were standing in the doorway of the room.

Felix said it all. "Oh shit."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: Bella

Felix rose cautiously. Raising his hands in as if in an attempt to placate. "Um, I surrender?" He mumbled.

As the feathers that hung suspended in the air began to sink, one landed lightly on my nose, I began to laugh.

I couldn't help it, my whole body shaking and I started howling with laughter, collapsing back down on the ground in the middle of all the feathers, I kept laughing, knowing it was stupid but not being able to stop. I didn't even know what I was laughing at anymore, the expressions of the Volturi's faces, the shocked expression on Felix's face, the fact that Jane's hair looked like someone had made a nest in it…..

Jane was the next to cave, it started out as a twitch of her lips, then she was on the ground almost crying with laughter. The tinkling sound filled the air.

Felix and Demetri were on the ground convulsing, wracked with fits of giddiness, their booming chuckles echoing in my ears.

I was going to get hiccups if I kept on laughing for too long, Jane and I were hanging on to each other as we shrieked in laughter. Tears were rolling down my cheeks and right now I couldn't have cared less what the rest of the Volturi thought.

After what felt like an hour and our laughter had turned into hiccupping giggles- or at least that was what happened to me- the rest of the vampires stopped laughing all at the same time with perfect poker faces.

I pulled myself up, unable to wipe the smile of my face and turned to face the Volturi lords.

To my relief all the guard had left except for Alec, who stood behind Aro, peering at Jane, and the three offenders next to me.

"Having fun?" drawled Caius.

I was suddenly _very_ annoyed at the superior look in his ruby orbs. "Yes." I said defensively, "Until a few seconds ago when you started talking."

Aro raised an eyebrow at my insult while Caius looked strangely blank.

"Indeed." Aro remarked, then a blinding white smile appeared on his face like the Cheshire cat. (not the mad hatter after all then) "So… I assume you have all sufficiently recovered?" He glanced at Jane who was suppressing an outburst and Felix and Demetri, who only now realized that they would have to run around the throne room naked. (So looking forward to it….. EVIL XD)

They all gave half bows and muttered, "Yes master."

I wanted to start laughing all over again. All three- two of them in their twenties, looked like penitent children, they filed out of the room, Jane leaning over and whispering quickly in my ear, "See you later- that was the most fun I'd had in centuries," and disappearing down the hallway, Alec following. (I seem to be writing the word 'hallway' a lot. Hmmm.)

Then Aro turned to me with a stern expression on his face (reprimanding father image), "We might be needing to find you a new room."

I turned around, wondering what he was talking about, and realized the whole room was practically destroyed. The bed hung sideways, the mattress dragging on the floor, the desk was split directly in two and books were scattered all around the room while the bookcase (don't ask me how) had miraculously ended up in the shower box and feathers were everywhere. It looked like a tornado had been let loose in the room.

I blushed a bright red. "Um, no that's fine, I don't want you to go to any trouble, I'll tidy up…. A bit, maybe Jane and I could um- redecorate, for something to do."

Aro bounced up and down on the spot clapping his hands. "Oh what a wonderful idea!"

I smiled weakly. "Yeah. We could like redecorate here, and then maybe Caius's room…" What? Had I just blurted out Caius's room? Oh shit, what would happen now? What if he thought I was insulting his room? Well I was insulting it because it was a horrible excuse for a room, but don't let them know that… Quick… Fix it! "I mean, you know, move the bookcases, and um, space arrangement…. For convenience!"

What was I blabbing about? Great. Kill me. Kill me now.

Aro and Caius were looking confused. Confused about what? But not angry- so I tried to change the subject before they could get all indignant. "Um, so, do you have a vacuum cleaner somewhere- for the feathers? I-"

Before I could finish my stomach snarled loudly. It was so unexpected that my cheeks flooded with heat. When was the last time I had eaten? Answer: almost a day and a half ago, a few crackers on the plane to Italy.

Aro was amused (isn't he always? AN- I also need to stop writing in the brackets don't I?), "Not to worry my dear, why don't you and Caius run down to the town to take care of your… _Human_ needs, and I will send someone up to clear the mess. Is that acceptable to you?"

Caius's expression soured considerably at the words 'you and Caius', but I nodded anyway.

Aro winked at me then floated away. I almost expected him to start singing 'Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens…. Lalalalalallalalalalalalal…..'

~~~(O.o)~~~

"Can you humans not go for a day without food?"

"If you just had a kitchen here then we wouldn't need to go!"

"In case you have not noticed girl, we do not need to _eat_ and therefore a kitchen would be a waste of time and space."

"Well right now, I could really use one. And seeing as you don't have one, we're going to the town."

"Curse your foolish mortal needs."

"Look, if you're going to be such a moron about this then just don't come!"

"Apparently I need to _accompany_ you in case of possible threats to your safety."

"Awwwwww, you really do care!"

"Mortal, you could be torn to pieces before my eyes and I could not care less. I am merely following my orders."

"Idiot."

Caius was frustrated that it had taken me half an hour to shower and pick all the feathers out of my hair and re-braid it, and then another few minutes for me to find shoes that weren't heels.

Now, I was walking along the weird narrow winding roads of Voltera, trying to look at _everything_. The last time I had been here, I had been too busy trying to save Edward from committing suicide I hadn't really gotten to see how _pretty_ everything was. All the buildings were exactly the same as they were a hundred years ago, probably why the Volturi liked it so much here.

Caius was trailing behind me, his face- hidden from the sun underneath his cloak's hood, was an expression of disgust. He obviously hadn't been out of the castle for fun…. Ever. I had tried to tell him that walking around draped in a Dracula style cloak would attract more attention that if he was shining like the sun, but of course, he didn't listen.

I saw several little girls begin pointing at the skulking figure behind me, while parents were eyeing him suspiciously.

I stopped at one of those fresh mini-doughnut stalls and bought a huge bucket along with a Sprite. Thank goodness for Edward stocking me with over five hundred dollars. After a day and a half of not eating, the smell of sugar and cinnamon was intoxicating.

Caius wanted to go back to the castle as soon as I had gotten my food, but it was fun sightseeing, even if my companion was a moronic jerk.

I bought a black 'No-I-Will-Not-Calm-Down-And-You-Can-Just-Fuck-Yourself' hoodie and bought a few presents for Jessica, Angela, Mike, Ben, who all thought I was off to a fancy college in Italy, and the Cullens, then stopped at a beauty products shop. I was running really low on shampoo.

I was trying to decide on whether or not to buy 'NEW AND ORIGINAL GRAPE HAIR SHAMPOO' or my traditional orange and mango when I saw out of the corner of my eye a shop assistant trip and a whole fountain of shampoo, soaps, gels, wax and conditioners cascade out of her hands and all spill over a very humiliated and angry vampire.

~~~(O.o)~~~

I honestly thought Caius was going to kill her right then and there. His expression of absolute fury would have been laughable if it wasn't for the knowledge that he could kill every single person in the store in under five seconds.

The shop assistant was blushing furiously as she tried- and not very well- to clean Caius up. I knew I should help but it was too damn funny and it was all I could do to not crack up laughing like before.

Eventually it became crystal clear that the stuff wouldn't come out. Caius's cloak and shirt now both looked like they were tie-dyed.

Finally the shop assistant whose tag read- Hi, my name is Lucy said, "I'm so sorry, it's not going to come out. Do you have any other clothes that you can change into?"

YES! This was perfect. Revenge for Caius being such a jerk. "Yup!" I piped up holding out the offensive hoodie that I had just purchased. "He's got this."

Caius all but dragged me back to the castle after he changed. His hood was up so he looked like a weird gangster style teenager instead of one of the most feared vampires in the world. I quietly snapped a photo of him with my iPod.

After he had changed, and I couldn't help noticing his _extremely _muscular chest, he barely gave me the time to pay for the conditioners before towing me away. I had to assure three separate people- one mother, an old man and a guy with a baby that no- I was not being kidnapped and that my boyfriend,( just to piss Caius off even more) only wanted to show me something.

We entered the castle just like when I had come with Edward, through the tunnel- except this time no one caught me after the fall and I think I twisted my ankle, in half the time we took to get to town.

We swept past the new blonde receptionist whose name I think was Diane (let's see how long she lasts, AN-didn't I say I was going to stop writing in brackets?), to the throne room. Or at least he swept. I tried to _sweep_, but my constant tripping didn't help.

Caius barged into the throne room which was empty except for Aro and Marcus who were lounging on their thrones. Felix and Demetri, true to their word wearing the 'stupid' and 'stupider' t-shirts, (I can't wait till they go running around the throne room naked) materialized right in front of Caius as if to restrain him, but he just pushed past them like they weren't even there.

"How may we assist you…." Aro rose in shock, his customary smile freezing in astonishment. "Brother?"

Caius snarled throwing back his hood. It would have been very dramatic if it wasn't for the fact that Caius's hair was plastered to his skull with still a mix of still drying gels that was slowly melting from the heat Caius was radiating. I had a feeling he was going to give a very good example of pyrokinesis.

"Caius, calm-" Aro placed a hand on Caius's shoulder- to read his thoughts, then tried to placate him while Marcus looked on almost amusedly.

"_CALM DOWN_?" snarled Caius. His hand burst into flame.

I was vaguely aware of Felix dragging me backwards, and Aro backing away slowly.

"_READ THE SHIRT YOU MORON!_" And he flung the ball of flame at Aro.

~~~(O.o)~~~

I was hauled out of the room and into the lobby where the receptionist was craning her neck to try and see what was going on with Caius.

"That was SO cool!" I enthused bouncing on the spot.

Felix shot me a very concerned look. "Master Caius just burst into flame and you are calling him cool?"

I was still bouncing. Probably hyped up by the soda from before, Caius had said the word 'moron' and the fact that Caius had made Aro look- _scared_. This was so awesome! "Well yeah! It was _so_ funny what happened!"

"And what did happen?" Felix looked wickedly interested.

I grinned at his enthusiasm, gave a quick prayer that I wouldn't be killed for telling, and began. "Well me and Caius went to the town and you know coz vampires glitter in the sun- he was wearing this really huge cloak which only got him more noticed, and-" Just then I realized that Felix was wearing a cloak exactly like Caius's, except Felix's was a shade or so lighter while Caius's was pitch black. I hurried on. "…and I went into a beauty shop and this person called Lucy tripped and split everything on Caius! And he had nothing to wear so I, very kindly," *cough* sarcasm *cough* "…lent him my brand new hoodie to wear. He looked very….. Street."

Felix was trying to hold in the laughter. Good luck. He looked like he was going to explode.

"You honestly go him to go into a _beauty _store and made him wear a _hoodie_ that read No-I-Will-Not-Calm-Down-And-You-Can-Fuck-Yourself?" He was inrendiclous.

I nodded. It actually hadn't seemed like that big a deal before. Hmmm.

Felix stuck out his hand like I had before the pillow fight. "Isabella Swan, welcome to the Volturi."

I took it, and we shook once.

"Let's just hope Caius doesn't kill me."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: Bella

Caius killed me.

Okay well he didn't really, but the look on his face almost did.

Jane had pinned me down until I had told her the whole story and then afterward she high-fived me and tickled me to death, making me squeal with laughter, for playing such an amazing prank on Caius. Aro didn't tell me off at all- in fact he congratulated me on having such an effect on Caius. The guy never ceased to amaze me.

~~~(O.o)~~~

_Dear Bella:_

_There's no sign of Victoria in Forks anymore, the pack are running circles on La Push but her trail's gone cold. The attacks in Seattle are still continuing and we may need to ask the Volturi for help eventually. I hope you're safe and that the Volturi are treating you alright. Alice sends her annoyance that you weren't there for the post-graduation party she threw._

_Don't worry, Charlie doesn't suspect a thing, except maybe that I'm not going to the same college as you. He knows how tight we are even if he hates to admit it. However he is concerned that you haven't been replying to your emails, and your mother Renee is going to be frantic with worry by tomorrow- courtesy of Alice. You might want to try find an internet café or something._

_These six months will be hell without you Bella, but I am happy in the knowledge that you are safe- even if I can't see you._

_Please write back- and hurry. I love you, and I have left my undead heart with you. Take care of it._

_With all the love that exists in this world and the next, _

_Edward._

I folded the letter back up carefully and placed it in my pocket. I had been a week here in Voltera.

Caius, after the fireball throwing incident had gone around with a hand wrapped up in a strip of cloth for a while. I wondered whether Aro had attacked Caius in return.

Aro's throne was a melted puddle of metal and ash (which was what the fireball hit) and had been replaced by another even more extravagant throne.

Felix and Demetri had carried out the running laps around the throne room naked where a huge crowd, mainly consisting of the guard stood watching them. Jane had invited them all. _Man_ was she evil! We had an awesome time watching them while several of the guard with phones snapped pictures. I almost felt sorry for the duo. However on their eighty-seventh lap of the throne room, Aro, Caius and Marcus had walked in. Instantly everyone vanished except for me and Jane, and Felix and Demetri, who had frozen in fear.

Caius had then attacked them both ripping off Felix's arm and part of Demetri's leg when Aro told him off saying it was impolite to attack naked men. Caius then yelled at Felix and Demetri- something about defiling the 'sacredness' of the throne room, immaturity for six hundred plus year old vampires, and stuff about duty…. Then yelled at Aro for being lenient. Then yelled at me for being the instigator of the event, then yelled at Jane…

It had taken several minutes for Aro and Marcus to calm Caius down.

~~~(O.o)~~~

I'd finished Romeo and Juliet- the Italian version, and reached the end of the mysterious Athena's notebook. I was in no way fluent in Italian yet, but I could understand the gist of a short conversation. When I got back to Forks at least I would have learnt something from my time at my supposed 'college'.

I had been spending more and more time with the Volturi guard when they weren't on missions and even though I hadn't been expecting it, it actually had begun to feel a bit like family. Jane was my adorable sister, Felix and Demetri were my goofy stupid older brothers, Alec kind of like a Jasper type guy, Marcus was like an uncle, (we had been getting closer over the days and he had even smiled twice. A MAJOR step.) Heidi a rather snobbish- but still nice, older sister, Aro…. Creepy next-door neighbour, and Caius….. Was Caius.

He still hated me for the shampoo incident, _and _the incident in the throne room, and now I only ever went to town with Jane or Felix or Demetri. Ever since I had become friends with the majority of the guard, most of whom were awesome people, I was allowed to be by myself with them (in other words without Caius breathing down my neck), but he obviously still was meant to guard me- Aro wasn't letting him out of it that easy, but he merely followed me around like a very bad tempered shadow and replied to my remarks with single word answers. Even when I teased him which was so insanely easy to do, he merely seemed to take it like a fly buzzing around his skull- like I was beneath his notice or something.

Eventually I had enough.

"What is _wrong_ with you? I've apologized already okay? I even dry-cleaned that awful cloak thing of yours! I mean, seriously, what is your problem with me?" I snapped. He was such a… , ,go;qxsrbdfmnd,.~~!

He replied with a blank stare.

ARGH! "I mean, come on! I'm not asking for a lot here you know! I just want to make the time I _have_ to spend with you tolerable! You can't seriously be having fun being a moron 24/7 every time you see me!"

Caius, maddingly enough didn't say anything for several minutes while I waited, silently fuming.

"Moron is a favourite word of yours isn't it?"

I grabbed at my hair in utter frustration. What kind of a- What sort of a- What the- He was- I could not stand- The way that he always- I slammed my fist into the nearest stone wall and stomped off, trying not to show how much my hand was throbbing.

Thankfully enough our hate/hate relationship improved a tiny bit afterwards. He was still a skulking annoying, cruel, vindictive bastard, but he did go with me to town sometimes and at least _talked_ a little bit, even if every word he said made me want to rip out my hair from the roots.

Jane understanding as she was, wasn't very understanding then when she told me it was amazing he had forgiven me at all.

"Bella?"

My head jerked up, out of my thoughts. I quickly put down my iPod, whose battery was running really low, and went to open the door.

Jane was standing in the doorway wearing her signature angelic face which I had realized a few days after getting to know her, that the more innocent she looked, the more devious her thoughts were.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Demetri bailed, he can't take you to the town, and neither can Felix- Aro's sent them to Ireland, there's apparently a rouge newborn around there."

"Oh." I sighed. I liked going to town with Demetri, he was funny- not in Felix's rude- always at my expense jokes, but a self-depicting humour which made any conversation fun. I perked up at the thought of Jane coming, she always wore one of those weird floppy sun-hat things so that the sun couldn't touch her skin, not one of the horrible 'vampire' cloaks that she only wore for appearances in the castle, and she knew tonnes of fun places to go.

Jane pouted, adorable on her cherubic face. "I can't! Aro needs me in the throne room in five minutes, so I'm sorry!"

"Are you sure?" I was grasping at straws here. "I really need to find an internet café, my mom and Charlie will be worrying! "

Jane looked even more devastated. "Bella! I'm really, really sorry! There's a Café like that near the entrance to Voltera, but I can't take you! Maybe we could buy you a computer? We've got more than enough money!"

I groaned inwardly. I hated people spending money on me. "No! I mean I appreciate it, but I couldn't. In any case, even if you did buy one, it'd take a few days for the order to come through, and I need to email them now!"

"Couldn't you go with Caius?"

Really Jane, really? "Um….."

Jane winced with me. She knew how much he detested me. But I was desperate. "Okay fine!" I huffed. "I'll- go get changed."

Jane laughed. "Good luck." And with a light breeze, she was gone.

I knew Caius could probably hear our conversation from wherever he was in the castle- damn vampire hearing, and he would be here shortly. I'd better hurry.

I quickly hopped into the walk-in wardrobe that Jane had insisted we install as part of my room's renovations, which were still in progress, and quickly grabbed a pair of shorts and a purple top. I couldn't go walking around in my oversized, unwashed t-shirt and also unwashed comfy old sweats.

I picked up my long suffering old duffel bag, making sure I still had what remained of Edward's money safely tucked inside. I didn't want to take money from the Volturi, but Edward's stash was running out quick. Now I wished that I hadn't complained when Edward had wanted to give me ten thousand dollars. Overprotective neurotic vampire boyfriend.

I pulled on a pair of socks and some fluro yellow chucks with bright green laces, and ran out back into my room.

Sure enough Caius was standing by my bed, impatient as usual. Glad that I could go to town, but not so glad that it was with _him_, I couldn't help blurting: "Geez, ever hear of something called _knocking_?" I knew I'd asked the question a thousand times before, but he'd never knocked once, so I think it was only fair that I continued to ask.

"What took you so long?" Was his retort.

"Getting changed." I snapped back.

"You looked fine before."

That stopped me. Was that…. A _compliment_? I felt a smile beginning to curl on my lips.

"I merely meant that previously you were passable, and that you did not need to spend unnecessary time preparing yourself."

My smile didn't fade, until I had to consciously wipe it off my face. Why should I care whether Caius complimented me?

"Whatever." I rejoined. "So… Can we go?"

Caius gave a weird bowing and gesturing movement towards the door. He was really getting into the whole 'sarcasm' gig. I didn't know whether I was pleased that I had had such an effect, or annoyed that Caius had found more ways to bother me.

Without Jane, I didn't find the Internet Café. Heck, I didn't even find my way to Voltera's front gates. If Caius knew, he didn't let on. He was sticking to the shadows trailing me like some stalker. I was trying to ask a local for directions, and he replied in Italian, so I only caught- turn left….. Something about a fountain, then right, then left, then a narrow alleyway…. I couldn't remember a single word of what he said- and it looked like he was in a hurry, so I thanked him quickly and kept looking.

I sighed. If I couldn't find the café, then I would have to write to Charlie and Mom the old fashioned way. However I was pretty sure that the Volturi didn't own pens or pencils. During my stay I hadn't seen a single one. And when I had tried to borrow a quill from Caius he had bitten my head off and spat out the pieces. I wasn't going to be trying that again.

I stopped at a Italian version of warehouse stationary. I bought a refill pad and a few pencils and erasers, when I spotted a drawing kit beside a stack of notebooks. On a whim I added it to the pile.

Caius was waiting outside. The harsh lights of the store would have done weird things with his skin.

"Here you go!" I said brightly as I handed Caius a pencil. This would be funny.

"And what would this flimsy piece of wood be for?"

I held in my smirk, forcing my face into a serious expression. "That flimsy piece of wood, is what the modern world call _writing utensils_. Try it!"

"On what?" He asked blankly.

I blinked at him for several seconds. I hadn't expected him to cave so easily. "Here." I said shoving my refill at him. I think vaguely that I had been going to do something to make fun of him….. What was it?

Caius, holding the pencil all wrong, lifted it to the paper before I stopped him. "You're holding it wrong!" I told him. He was holding it as though it was a snake. Geez- it was just a pencil!

I grabbed his hand, and forced his fingers to hold the pencil properly. I almost jerked back as I realized it was the first time I had ever actually touched him. His skin was hard and cold- yet soft at the same time. It felt more like marble, rather than Edward's granite skin. I forced myself to act normally and continued wrapping his fingers around the pencil.

"There you go!" I said, a little too cheerfully.

Caius threw me an odd look before trying to write the way he usually would. The pencil snapped in his hand, wood splinters going everywhere.

I snorted, _very unfeminine_, I told myself, then composed my face. "Yeah, you'll need a bit of practice."

I grabbed the refill back and shoved it into my bag. Turning to walk back down the street.

"Don't worry hon, it happens to everyone!"

I whirled around.

A red-headed beauty was standing next to Caius smiling charmingly at him, flirting unashamedly. I stood stock still, unable to believe she was flirting with Caius. He was so much better than her….. Wait- what? Had I just praised Caius? No, no I hadn't.

I unfroze, and grabbed Caius's ice-cold hand, and began towing him away, interrupting the girl who had just introduced herself as Lisa from England. "Sorry. He's with me." I told her smoothly.

She ran her blue eyes over me, her expression twisting into disgust. "I doubt it honey. How could a person like him, be with a person like you?"

I didn't let her get to me. I wasn't really with Caius, and I didn't really _want _to be with Caius, so why did I care? I didn't. No, I didn't. But because I sucked at lying, I didn't believe myself. Lisa, _was_ really pretty anyway, a thousand times better looking than me. Her red hair hung to her waist and was braided intricately. Her high cheekbones were something that I had always wanted, and she had curves all in the right places. I answered anyway. "Well I doubt he'd want to be with a slut like you."

WHAT DID I JUST SAY? I wasn't really one who cursed a lot- the most extreme expletive I'd ever said was 'shit' and I'd never really insulted anyone to their face before except for Caius- and he didn't count. When did I get so protective?

"You don't seem very sure honey- " If she said 'honey', _one_ more time… ", and I notice you haven't let him talk." She directed her attention to Caius. "Surely you don't want to stay with _her_? Do you?"

I didn't look at the vampire lord. I was suddenly afraid. WHY DID I CARE? ? I had _Edward_ for goodness sakes. _Edward_ would never be with someone else, _Edward_ would never let me down, _Edward_ was the best boyfriend anyone could ever have, and I loved him, so why was I worried about Caius being with Lisa?

Suddenly I felt myself being yanked to the side, and the next thing I knew I was pressed up against Caius and he was kissing me.

_What the hell_? I screamed mentally. _Why was Caius kissing me? Why am I not trying to make him get the hell off me? Why am I enjoying this just a little bit?_

Then suddenly I was standing exactly where I was before, facing a Lisa that looked like she had been sucker punched.

"In case it is not clear _Lisa_, I am not interested, I would thank you to leave now." Caius spoke for the first time, his voice smooth, but also dangerous. Lisa turned tail and walked off. I thought I could see her crying. For some reason I felt guilty.

I rounded on Caius. "Why the _hell_ were you kissing me?" I yelled at him.

He looked quietly stunned before his blank face came on. "I imagined that you disliked Lisa's presence."

Oh so she was on first name terms with Caius? And after a week Caius still called me 'girl', 'human', 'mortal' or 'repulsive mortal girl'?

"Well _yes_, but what's wrong with telling her to shove off?"

"I did not think that that would get the message across."

"So you just grab me and _kiss_ me? What is _up_ with that? Haven't you got any decency?" I snarled at him. "I've got a boyfriend for crissakes, you don't just grab someone randomly and start swallowing their lips!" I knew I was exaggerating, the kiss had been lips only, but _still_! How was Edward going to react?

Caius looked like the thought had only just occurred to him.

"The least you could do is apologize!" I yelled at him. Stupid insensitive JERK!

He didn't apologize.

I turned tail and stalked off.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Ten: Caius

What in goodness name had possessed me to _kiss_ her? It frustrated me that I had _enjoyed_ it for a few seconds, before my senses reacted and I released her. _IDIOT! _I screamed at myself, before realizing what I had thought. Damn the stupid human for making me think like one of her modern new-fangled toys. I was Caius Volturi and I would _not_ be changed. Anger hate and vindictiveness had ruled my life for so long, and it would _remain_ that way. (AN- Note that he thought _had_)

It occurred to me that the other female- Lisa, was still there. I thought I had gotten my point across in the clearest way possible. "In case it is not clear _Lisa,_" I spat out her name, "I am not interested, I would thank you to leave now."

She walked off in tears. I felt pleased in my own sadistic way.

"Why the hell were you kissing me?"

I focused my attention on Isabella. She was yelling at me. _Why?_ I had just gotten rid of the immensely vexing human female. "I imagined that you disliked Lisa's presence." Now that I said it out loud, I realized what a ridiculous explanation. Also I _never_ did anything for other's benefit, why was I beginning now?

A flicker of unidentifiable emotions ran across Isabella's face. "Well _yes_, but what's wrong with telling her to shove off?"

I had done her a _favour_ and now she was complaining? Ungrateful inferior species. "I did not think that would get the message across." Some passer-by's were staring at us curiously now, but as none of them spoke English fluently, I was not overly worried.

"So you just grab me and _kiss_ me? What is _up_ with that? Haven't you got any decency? I've got a boyfriend for crissakes, you don't just grab someone randomly and start swallowing their lips!"

_What_? Had the human thought that the kiss _meant_ something? It was a meaningless gesture! Admittedly I had not even _touched _a female in over several centuries and she was the first, but she meant _nothing_ to me! It was barely even something worth mentioning!

"The least you could do is apologize!" She screamed at me.

Why should I apologize? It worked hadn't it?

When I said nothing, she stalked off down the path.

I followed. Usually women liked to be kissed did they not? Her reaction was at the very least very unexpected. For some reason that made me respect her. Odd. I had not felt anything marginally close to respect for a human….. Ever. They were food- mere substance, nothing more.

I followed her though, watching as she seemed to calm somewhat- her shoulders relaxing into a less offensive position. She didn't slow down though and although I could have kept her pace easily, I stayed a few steps behind her, I was pretty sure that she would not appreciate my presence right then.

Since when had I ever thought of other's feelings? What was it about this human that made me reconsider everything in my life that I had set into stone? I would _not_ give up. I would _not_ change for this….. Inferior human. She annoyed me so much to the point where I wanted to set myself alight merely to prevent myself from ever having to hear her voice again.

I tried to calm myself with images of me pinning Aro to the ground and tearing off his limbs- saving his head for last, then watching his ashes burn….. Next I decided on Felix. Ripping his arms off- throwing them in to a fire…..

I hadn't noticed the girl had ducked into a shoe store until I realized her scent was almost masked by the harsh scent of oil, dust, grit, plastic chemicals and oiled leather.

I followed, wincing slightly as the smell intensified. The girl had her back to me, pointedly ignoring me. I wasn't sure why I cared.

Her attention was stubbornly fixed on a pair of shoes that looked more like torture implements than things to be worn on feet. "They look painful."

"They are." She began before realizing her mistake. She clamped her mouth shut. It was almost pitiful.

"If they are then why are you here?"

She opened her mouth again, then shut it, then let out a growl of frustration. She slammed the shoes back down onto the stand and stormed out.

Now I finally understood why she was so irritating. It was enjoyable.

That stopped me. Enjoyable?

~~~(O.o)~~~

**_Bella_.**

I stormed out, annoyed that the door was hooked open so that I couldn't slam it for effect. I knew Caius would follow me out, so I glanced around for the nearest store so that I could evade him. I would have liked nothing better than to run straight back to the castle, go to my room, slam the door, and take out all my anger on the walls. We _were_ redecorating, and there were bound to be some sledgehammers lying around even if Jane liked destroying the furniture by hand. And if Caius butted in…. I'd see what a sledgehammer would look like embedded in his face.

But I knew the best way to get back at him was to keep walking around in circles in Voltera. He hated it outside the castle- so I'd make him _stay_ outside the castle.

I stepped into a jewellery store where the lights were so bright there would be no way that Caius could come in. I pretended to browse among the wedding rings earning concerned glances from the sales assistant for half an hour, then stepped outside, head swimming from images of shiny diamonds. I didn't glance to either side of me, sure that Caius was closing in, ready to drag me back to the castle, but I wasn't going to let that happen.

I entered several other stores, pretending to browse for an hour each until I got bored or until the glares the shopkeepers gave me- for being there for so long but not buying anything- drove me out.

I was just exiting the latest store when I saw something across from me. 'Internet Voltera di Cafe'

Internet Café!

I all but bolted for the door, quickly paid the guy at the front and plonked down in front of one of the old computers. Now I was faced with the dilemma of who to email first.

I quickly opened up my account seeing over twenty emails from Charlie, Renee, Mike, Angela, and Alice.

Mom had sent around seven emails, each several pages long.

Being the good daughter that I was, I steadily wrote a reply to each one, telling her about my fictional life in college. Most of her questions in her emails were typical Renee, she even went so far as to ask me whether I'd found a cute Italian guy. If anyone else had asked, I would have been having a major spaz out, but this was my mom, and I knew she knew that I would never cheat on Edward.

Speaking of which…..

I was still pissed off at Caius. What right did he have to go around grabbing me and kissing me? NONE! Sure I was _very_ pleased at the effect on Lisa, but still. It wasn't like I had liked the kiss. It wasn't like it meant anything. I was positive it didn't mean anything to Caius, and it sure didn't mean anything to me. Yeah. It was nothing. NOTHING. I reminded myself.

Finishing the one to Renee, I opened up Charlie's one.

Police officer to the core, he had made a long list of precautions for me to take, take my can of pepper spray everywhere I go- don't stay out later than eleven o'clock- don't talk to strangers- don't, don't, don't, don't. He obviously didn't know these were all void with me living with vampires. Heck- if he knew, he'd probably have a heart attack.

I carefully typed a reply, knowing that Charlie would pay close attention to the details and freak if he thought anything was wrong.

Mike and Angela were next, Mike just a short email asking for details about life in Italy- it seemed like he had finally resigned himself to the fact that I was with Edward- and Angela with a longer one, talking about her life at Dartmouth, and complaining lightly that we weren't together. Ben had apparently gone to Dartmouth with her and they were roommates. I was happy for her.

I typed a reply, trying to make it sound realistic. Angela. Next to Alice, she was my best friend.

Jessica hadn't bothered to email.

Alice's was interesting.

_Dear Bella:_

_I know you won't get this until a week later, but I thought I'd email you now! It is SO frustrating not being able to see what you are doing! Our co-operation with the pack means I can't see anything!_

_PLEASE tell me you are alright! I cannot stand the thought of the state of your clothes right now! Without me, how will you survive? Like Edward will say in the letter he will post tomorrow- Victoria's GONE! We know she's still out there, but we can't find a single trace of her._

_Please do me a favour and at least try to make yourself dress nicely _please_? For me?_

Typical Alice- not worried about Victoria so much as my state of dress.

_Are the Volturi treating you okay? I don't know because I can't SEE! Please give me details! I hate not knowing!_

_So yeah, like Edward says in his letter- I miss you and can't wait till I see you again! Bye!_

_-Alice_

I gave a rather self-conscious smile.

I replied:

_Dear Alice:_

_I miss you too- so much, and don't worry about my fashion sense. Jane here has got me covered. She's almost exactly like you Alice, she's got my closet stocked with so many designer labels I can't identify half of them- I need you Alice!_

_As to being okay, I guess I am, although you'll never guess who has been assigned to protect me. Although you being you Alice, I guess you already know who I'm going to say. Caius._

_He's not at my throat trying to kill me 24/7 but sometimes I wish he was! He is an absolute total complete moronic JERK! Even more than Emmett is sometimes- tell him that for me, I bet he'll laugh. So Victoria's gone? Please tell me Charlie's safe, do you have any idea of what her plans might be now?_

_Is Jake back? I know how much you hate the wolves blah, blah, blah, but he's my best friend too._

_The Volturi are nice- a lot nicer than I would ever have dreamed possible, no-one's tried to rip out my throat yet- although one has gotten close. (Caius)_

_See you in six months Alice, I bet you will be impressed by what I am wearing!_

_-Always with love, Bella_

I leaned back in my chair satisfied. Then I opened up another window and sent another email to Alice, asking her to pass it on to Edward.

_Dear Edward:_

_I love you so much. Don't freak out at Caius being asked to protect me- mainly he just follows me around sulking at his bad luck- nothing's tried to hurt me yet _(it was much easier lying through email than face to face) _and I feel almost at home here, Jane, Alec, Felix and Demetri are all a lot nicer than they look._

_Don't go all protective on me and rush over here to Voltera. They need you in Forks. How bad is it there? Don't you dare lie to me- I have a right to know. How many are dying in Seattle? What's the situation exactly? When exactly did Victoria vanish? The whole shizbang._

_-Bella_

I wanted to write 'with all my love, Bella' but for some reason it sounded too soppy for me. I clicked send and then drummed my fingers restlessly on the keys. I'd have to go back to the castle sooner or later. I signed out of the computer and shut it down.

Exiting the café, I realized how long I had been wandering around. The sky was darkening and the streets were mainly empty.

I hugged my bag closer and set on in the general direction of the castle. I couldn't see Caius.

I walked for a few more streets before realizing Caius was missing. "Caius?" I whispered quietly. If he was around, he could hear it.

"Caius? This isn't funny!"

I was lost. Damn well officially lost, my stupid vampire guardian had deserted me and I was lost in a foreign city in Italy.

I made a couple of wrong turns and ended up in a dark alleyway. How many times had I read about stereotypical situations in the newspaper? Dark alleyways lead to a. Robbery, b. Death, c. Attacks…. Ect, ect, ect. Exactly the type of scenario Charlie would warn me against.

I immediately turned to go back to the main road, but suddenly, before I could even gasp, a figure materialized in front of me.

The guy had moved _way_ too fast for a human, and was now standing inches from me. _Vampire_.

It was fine. It was fine. Hunting was prohibited by the Volturi inside Voltera. Edward had told me so himself. I drew myself up nervously. "If you're looking for the Volturi they're by the castle." I squeaked.

The mysterious guy laughed. "Oh no…" His voice was smooth, melodic. "I am not looking for the Volturi- their end will come soon enough."

"Okay?" I tried to edge backwards. A stupid motion. I tripped, and would have gone sprawling if someone else caught me with hard cold arms.

I glanced up, hoping against hope that it was Caius. Even him I would welcome now.

It wasn't.

Blood-red eyes, intense and vivid stared back at me. They weren't clouded like Aro, Caius or Marcus or even the dark ruby shade of the Volturi guard. This vampire was a newborn.

_Two_ vampires.

The newborn released me and I staggered upright. I was subconsciously wondering why he hadn't attacked yet. Edward said newborns were uncontrollable.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Well you were foolish enough to let on that you knew the Volturi." The first figure continued. "At first we were merely going to drain you as a message to the Volturi, that even their sacred city is not safe…. But now- tell me girl, how do you know of the Volturi, and vampires- and why have they left you alive for so long?"

I suddenly didn't feel so afraid anymore. A rush of heat burnt through me, burning away the fear. "That's none of your business."

My only hope was to keep him distracted. Keep him talking.

"Oh I think it is."

"Why?"

The figure shifted forwards so that in the dim glow of the not-so near streetlamp, illuminated his handsome features. His skin was a shade of white, so pale it was brighter than snow, and his eyes were a fiery red with a circle of black around the iris. His features were foreign so I assumed he came from up north. "You are stalling," he confirmed. "Who do you think will be coming for you?"

"No one." My voice was stronger than I felt. "And I want to know why you want to know before I tell you what I know."

The man laughed lightly, "Such fire." He muttered. Then a second later, my face and side exploded with pain as I was flung against the wall of the alley.

I slumped to the ground, holding my stinging cheek.

"Ow." I muttered dazedly. My fingers groped across the ground. _Anything_ for a weapon. I knew they would be useless against vampires, but hey- why not go down fighting? They were going to kill me anyway, so I wasn't going to tell them anything. Nope.

My fingers came in contact with something long and smooth. I gripped it tightly. It felt like a steel pole.

I felt fingers around my throat, dragging me upwards, slowly tigtening. _I was going to die_. Where was Caius? Where was Jane? Where was Felix? Where was Demetri? Where was _anyone_? Wasn't Voltera meant to be safe? Wasn't Caius meant to protect me? Why the hell did these things happen to _me_?

The pole wasn't going to do anything.

I could see my captor's eyes again, they were now pure black with thirst. He was approaching me now, his teeth bared, venom glistening on his teeth.

No! I screamed to myself. I swung the pole up, slamming it into the vampire's gut. He staggered back a step- more out of shock than pain. I regained my footing and tried to run. But before I could even take two steps, I was pinned against the wall again, the pole falling noisily to the ground.

"I was going to make it quick for you after you told me what you knew. A thank you- if you will, but now you've _really_. Pissed. Me. Off." He was getting closer again, there was nothing I could do- nothing anyone could do... _Edward!_

I began muttering my goodbyes. Maybe someone could hear them, maybe someone would help. I couldn't scream, I had no air left.

"_I love you Edward, I love you Alice, I love you Charlie, I love you Renee, I love you Jane, I love you Jasper, I love you Emmett, I love you Angela…._"

The vampire's head was getting closer and closer. Why was he being so slow?

"_I love you Felix, I love you Demetri, I love you Mike, I love you Jacob, I love you Carlisle, I love you Esme, I love you Rosalie, I love you Alec….. Caius…._"

My words trailed off as the vampire bent his head down so that his mouth brushed my neck. What did I want to say about Caius? Something that summed him up. Something that explained him fully. I might as well say it. He wasn't going to hear it.

"Caius….."

Should I say it?

"Caius….. You piss me off."

And there was the screech of tearing metal and I was dropped to the ground.

Standing over me, his eyes bright with fury, and his silver hair flowing back….. _Caius_.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: Caius

She had been in the shop with the whirring pieces of metal and plastic with glowing screens for over an hour now. I deliberated on going in and dragging her out, then decided against it. It would attract far too much attention.

Was she doing this deliberately to vex me? If so, although I was loathe to admit it, it was working. I glanced upwards at the steadily darkening sky. If she was going to be there for that long, I might as well leave to hunt. She would be relatively safe in the café, as no vampire would be foolish enough to hunt in Voltera.

I had not hunted for days- ever since the girl had arrived in Voltera. Aro would he furious that I was leaving now, but there was little he would be able to do about it.

I turned away from the bright window, and walked steadily outside the gates of Voltera. The sun had begun it's slow descent from the sky, so it was dark enough for me to remove my hood.

My eyes flickered around for onlookers, and when I had confirmed there were none, I began to run.

The wind whipped past me, a feather's touch on my stone features. I barely paused at the neighbouring city's walls, leaping smoothly and gracefully over the thirty feet high walls. Mortals and their so-called defences.

I cursed inwardly as I saw a man standing in the shadows of a nearby apartment building, his mouth gaping as he saw me. _My first snack._ I told myself, pouncing.

After my week of abstinence, the immediate flow of blood was soothing, and as soon as the man was drained dry, I slung him into a nearby dumpster which stunk of decomposing mortal food.

As I turned away from the body, a glint of a wedding ring caught the light on the man's finger. A sudden rush of an unidentifiable emotion nudged at me.

Was it….. Guilt?

I quickly brushed it aside. I had been killing for millennia. It should not bother me now. This was all the _girl_'s fault. I snarled, whirling around. I was far from satisfied, my throat still burning dully, but my rage burned hotter. Ever since the human had arrived, she had humiliated me repeatedly, managed to make the guard preform _repulsive_ and degrading acts, somehow twisted Aro, my mentally disturbed brother to defending her, achieved the impossible by befriending Jane, and goodness knows how much else. I had put up with it. But _now_- She had managed to get inside my head. Twisting my thoughts and actions. I was going to settle this once and for all.

If the girl would not leave, and if I could not harm her, then I would _make_ her leave. Call the Cullens and make them come retrieve her- or somehow arrange an 'accident' which would never be able to retraced to me.

Right now though- I would tell her exactly what I thought of her, and _frighten_ her into leaving.

Making sure no other humans were within distance of sight, not that I would have minded draining a few others dry- but it would be a distraction, I leapt easily over the wall, and flew back to Voltera.

Reaching the café- and intending to drag her out kicking and screaming for all I cared- I realized she was no-longer there. _Dammit!_

The meddlesome girl had probably gotten herself lost, and now I would have to spend time finding her. I stopped myself quickly. It was better if she was lost. Perhaps it would teach her a lesson.

Against my will, I followed her scent- why had the Cullen boy said it smelled of flowers? It obviously did not. No-one, except perhaps a florist, smelled of flowers - I mentally cursed myself. These sorts of pointless sarcastic thoughts were the very ones that the human had likely implanted into my skull.

Her scent- still quite potent, barely two minutes old, led down a few streets into a dark alleyway. How foolish was the girl? Then another scent pervaded my senses. _Vampire_.

There were two of them I could tell that much, one, old- very old, almost as old as my brothers and I. The other was a newborn, their scent still mixing with the blood of their previous life. And mixed with them was the girl.

I groaned inwardly. This was exactly why I needed to be rid of the girl. She stumbled into trouble everywhere she went. However I would not worry unduly. The vampires knew that it was against the law to hunt in Voltera. Unfortunately the girl would be safe.

Slightly curious however, as to why the vampires did not merely come to the palace if they wanted an audience, I perched atop a nearby roof, to listen to the going-ons. The mortal- foolish human, was trying to talk to them. "If you're looking for the Volturi they're by the castle." Her voice was shaky.

_Idiot!_ She just made known that she knew of vampires!

The older vampire- the one who's scent stunk of age chuckled lightly and replied. "Oh no… I am not looking for the Volturi- their end will come soon enough."

My hands gripped the brick edge of the roof, the mortar slowly crumbling beneath the pressure. _Our end would come soon enough_? This vampire was clearly a traitor. I should dispose of him immediately.

"Okay?" Isabella tried to retreat, but her irritating clumsiness which always revealed itself at the worst of times, came into play, and she tripped over and was caught by the newborn.

Perfect. Seeing as the newborn was distracted, I should take care of the older vampire. I tensed, ready to spring. I had the element of surprize, and my gift, although I preferred to use it as a last measure.

However the girl got in the way yet again. "What do you want?" she asked.

It was always the same question. Especially seeing as the girl _knew_ that they were vampires.

"Well you were foolish enough to let on that you knew the Volturi." The old vampire commented. "At first we were merely going to drain you as a message to the Volturi, that even their sacred city is not safe…. But now- tell me girl, how do you know of the Volturi, and vampires- and why have they left you alive for so long?"

I clenched my fists. The vampire was going to _hunt_ in our city? Even though I would not miss or regret the loss of that one infuriating human, I was more concerned for Voltera's reputation. These two vampires were going to _die_.

I was yet again readying myself to attack, when the girl spoke again. I wanted to grab handfuls of my hair and tear them out by the roots. This was beyond belief!

"That's none of your business."

Did the girl have no sense of self-preservation? Futile as her pitiful bravery was, she should _get out of the way_.

They bantered for a few seconds, seconds of which I was contemplating leaving the girl there to die, then coming back and destroying the two vampires once the girl was out of the way. Three birds with one stone.

The sarcasm was getting to me.

"You are stalling," The older vampire finally realised. "Who do you think will be coming for you?"

_Smart_.

"No one. And I want to know why you want to know before I tell you what I know." The girl's lying was getting better. However she probably believed that I was not going to save her. She did not even know I was here. I was still thinking.

The vampire laughed, "Such fire." Then his hand came around, slamming the girl with enough force so that she was thrown onto one of the nearby alley walls. The one directly beneath me to be specific.

Should I go to her aid? There were far more reasons to _not_ save her than to keep her alive.

She was now searching for a weapon. As if she could think that she was a match for our kind. As she was dragged upwards by the throat by the elder vampire, I saw her fingers close around a long steel bar. Completely pointless.

Should I go? Should I attack?

The vampire was leaning in now, slowly, to torment the girl. The newborn, who was exercising excellent control, was standing a few steps behind.

If I left the girl to her death, and destroyed the vampires after, I could merely say I was too late. Aro, even if he discovered the truth would not be able to do anything, and the Cullens- they would never know. Even the boy- the mind reader. Should I?

Before I could decide- the vampire's teeth were almost at the girl's throat, she reacted, like someone had injected her with lightning. She swung the pole around with surprizing strength, slamming it into the vampire's stomach. He staggered- most likely from the unexpectedness of the motion, there would be no way that the blow would have affected him physically, then reached out and pinned the girl back to the wall.

The motion had been entirely useless and done nothing but anger the vampire, this girl was exceedingly confusing, and it was obvious there was something wrong in her brain.

"I was going to make it quick for your after you told me what you knew. A thank you- if you will, but now you've Really. Pissed. Me. Off." The drama of the situation made me want to laugh.

The vampire- theatrical to the point of overly dramatic as Aro, was taking his time. I still hadn't decided.

The human then began saying her farewells. The ridicule of the situation made me want to roll my eyes, which I did. Who did she imagine was going to hear her?

"_I love you Edward, I love you Alice, I love you Charlie, I love you Renee, I love you Jane, I love you Jasper, I love you Emmett, I love you Angela, I love you Felix, I love you Demetri, I love you Mike, I love you Jacob, I love you Carlisle, I love you Esme,_"

I was slightly amused to hear that she _loved_ the Cullens and Felix, Jane and Demetri yet repulsed that she said the name of her mate first.

"_I love you Rosalie, I love you Alec….. Caius…._"

I was just about to turn and leave until they were done with her- I had finally decided. She could die for all I cared. I would merely come and clean up in a few seconds. The human was of now consequence. I might actually drag the elder vampire to the palace with me for Aro to see his plans for the Volturi's demise when I heard he girl mutter my name.

My eyes widened by a fraction. _Why the hell was she saying my name_?

If she so much as muttered the words 'love' and my name in the same sentence, I would resurrect her from the dead just so I could send her back to Hades myself. Pitiful humans. Always so free with the word _love_.

I stopped. I would _enjoy_ her demise.

"Caius..."

I smiled vindictively.

"Caius…. You piss me off."

_What_?

I was slammed back into reality.

I attacked.

~~~(O.o)~~~

I dropped from the roof, landing a few meters away from the vampire who was poised over Isabella, tearing off one of his arms with a screech of tearing metal. He released the girl who dropped to the ground.

Snarling with fury, the now one-armed vampire stood, leaning forwards slightly, ready to leap. His hood fell back, revealing his face.

_I knew him_. The skin, even paler than my own, was a ghostly colour and the features were sophisticated and unmistakable. The scent… Now up close it was clear. "Stefan." I regarded him coolly. My gaze shifting between him and the newborn.

The Romanian straightened, brushing dust from his clothes. "Ah Caius." He replied smoothly. "Protecting mortals now are you?"

I ignored his comments. Stefan was not a physical threat, but his words were poison. Vladimir was the skilled fighter. I could end these two with ease. However I needed Stefan alive.

"Do stand still while I dispose of your companion dear cousin." I told him. A pity he was related to Sculpia. I disliked the image of us being related to the Romanian scum. However the titles were useful for mocking. Damn the human and the petty thoughts she had planted in my head!

It was obvious that Stefan felt the same way.

He scowled at me, the girl trembling behind me all but forgotten. "I will look forward to watching you burn dear Volturi filth. You have sat on a throne which you stole for far too long."

I jerked my head irritably. "So it is you who have been attacking several covens loyal to the Volturi and been destroying small towns to the south?"

Stefan nodded, grinning cockily. I wanted to tear the smile from his frozen face. "Ah yes. And I am sure you will recognize some of our newest recruits." He gestured in the direction of the palace. "We have found many new allies in different continents and I believe you have met Deamin. The werewolves are always eager to slaughter-"

_They were allies with the werewolves?_ Stefan and Vladimir had to be stopped.

"-regardless of the situation, and I believe you will meet one with whom you harbour a certain grudge- I believe the werewolf that killed your dear wife Athenadora, oh she was _fun_ to burn don't you thin-"

Fury, anger, loss and desire for vengeance collided in a single explosive moment. Losing reason, I sprung at Stefan. _He dared mention my wife_? He was not worthy to speak her name- I would _end_ him if it was the single thing I wished to accomplish in life.

Something slammed into me, knocking me into the wall, which crumbled under impact. The newborn had interfered. I would destroy him first.

I attacked like a whirlwind, my anger fuelling me on. The newborn merely had strength, no skill. I tore him in half before he could even touch me. An insignificant part of me complained that it was harder to move encumbered by my cloak and suit underneath. I snarled and shoved the thought aside.

I stared down at the remains of the newborn. "_Burn_." I hissed, and my hand burst into flame.

Instantly a searing pain built in my hand, edging its way down my arm. I set the newborn on fire, before quickly extinguishing the flame in my hand.

I scowled angrily at my now blackened and scorched palm. _Every time_. I reprimanded myself.

I stalked outside immediately realizing that Stefan was long gone. I cursed in Latin. He would have had a head-start the spineless cur, and I was burdened by this human. I would not be able to catch up with him.

With an oath, I swung around to face the girl. "And what did you think you were doing?" I yelled at her. Perhaps it was unnecessary to yell, but my frustration that Stefan had escaped was overflowing. The stench of burning vampire only added to my anger. "If you had not involved yourself, then I could have captured Stefan!" I exploded.

The girl didn't cower away. Her façade of bravery was grating on me. Her so-called 'guts' and spirit were useless. She couldn't protect herself, she was a burden, and was a complete waste of time, energy and effort.

My eyes were seeing red again, ironic considering that my eyes _were_ red. The thought only angered me more. I was about to continue when I heard a heartbeat in the room where I had recently destroyed the newborn. The owner of the room probably. His scent floated over to me.

Without thinking, I leapt at him and sunk my teeth into his neck. The flow of blood was instanous and instantly satisfying.

When his heart had stopped, I flung his body on top of the steadily burning purple fire, turning back to face the girl.

She was angry. "Why did you kill that man? You're a monster! He didn't do anything!"

She was not afraid that I had just killed a man in front of her- she was indignant.

My fury returned so quickly it was as if it had never left. "Look here _girl_-" I snarled. It was easier to refer to her nameless. Humans were not important enough to harbor names. "-we are monsters. You knew it the day you decided to plunge yourself into our world you ignorant child- We kill. This is what we _do_. You have lived for what would be only a blink of an eye in our world, and you think you can judge our actions?" I was towering over her. "You know _nothing_. I knew it from the second you walked into our halls, clinging to that boy's arm. You are a burden, someone who leeches off others, completely unable to fend for your own. And you think you have spirit? Courage? Perhaps even gall enough to stand up to a vampire? Why then, the instant you are about to die, you lose all your courage, all your will, and become a trembling cowering slave sprouting meaningless goodbyes? I will tell you now that all you pitiful attempts, your worthless words, are useless and the only way your being would be appreciated is burning on a pyre- and even that would be too good for you. No. You burdened us all the moment you entered our world. _Pathetic!_" I spat. "If you cannot _accept_ that killing is part of our lives, then you should have run the moment you discovered our secret. Now, the best thing that could ever happen to you would be the day when I arrive at your door and snap your pitiful neck."

Still shaking with barely controlled fury, I turned and stalked away. The rage still burnt through me, but slowly dimming. I set out for the palace, not running, but barely walking. I did not care much anymore if the girl was following. She could burn with the newborn for all I cared.

**Things learnt in this chapter:**

**The mysterious Athena is Athenadora- Caius's late wife.**

** Sefan and Valdimir are Romanians and they are allied with the werewolves.**

**Caius's gift can hurt him too- just because he can control fire doesn't mean it won't hurt him too. ('the last time' he keeps on referring to is when he almost burnt himself to death when his powers got away from him.)**

**And Caius has had his little angry heart-to-heart with Bella. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen: Bella

My ears were ringing and my head was spinning as I listened to Caius's angry tirade. I wanted to open my mouth- defend myself, but nothing would come. I hated to admit it, but it was true. Everything he said was true. I had no defence, because I was already defeated. Was that really who I was? Someone who cowered behind others?

I wanted almost nothing more than to deny all his words and pretend he was making it all up, but it was true. I _was_ a pathetic human, trying to keep up with immortals.

I wanted to break down and cry- get up and scream- I didn't know. I wish I'd never heard the words- that he'd left me to die. And yet…..

I was glad.

I was glad that he had told the truth- harsh as it was. I was _glad_ I knew my mistakes and what was thought of me. I was angry because I didn't know how to fix it.

That left me stunned.

~~~(O.o)~~~

Needless to say, the next few days were not pleasant. Caius was still in a towering rage- the encounter with the Romanian- as Marcus informed me- had brought up subjects from his 'his very tragic' past.

What was it with vampires and their mysterious pasts?

At least I had discovered who 'Athena' was. I knew that she was the writer of the little Italian notebook- and her full name was Athenadora. She was Caius's wife, and killed by werewolves who were on the Romanian's side.

I had so many questions- but I felt that it would be rude to go around asking without Caius's permission- and heck, I was not going to be asking _him_.

I had tried to thank Caius for him saving my life- and apologize for my 'pitifulness' but he had merely glared at me, like he was waiting for me to shrivel up and die, then stalked off.

Aro had given Caius hell for leaving me alone- but it had no effect on Caius whatsoever. My cheeks still burned with embarrassment when I realized that Caius must have hear my desperate 'goodbyes' when he referred to them in his angry tirade- _sprouting meaningless goodbyes_- then anger when I realized he was that close but hadn't done anything.

The guy was a complete and total nut-job. If he was human, he would have been locked up in a padded cell in a straitjacket for life.

But… Underneath all my annoyance- anger- humiliation and how I couldn't _bloody stand the guy_, I couldn't help but feel a tiny bit sorry for him.

Great going Bella.

It was Friday- yet again, and seeing as Jane was otherwise occupied, and I couldn't find Felix and Demetri, I was sitting in the throne room with the three vampire kings, listening to them 'pass judgement'.

It was boring.

Most of the vampires who entered the hall had to be put under by Alec, as soon as they saw me- but Aro wouldn't let me leave the room. Was the guy trying to get me killed or what? If it was Caius, I knew he would be, but Aro- I would never understand that guy.

The vampires with more control just talked to Aro about all these weird problems which in my opinion were all stupid and timewasting.

The leader of a vampire coven somewhere in Australia was complaining because another coven was feeding in the same town. I mean how idiotic was that? Solution 1. Kill the other guys (huh, Caius must have been getting to me), Solution 2. Move. Solution 3. _Share_.

For hundreds or thousands of year old vampires- they weren't very smart.

In an interval between the stupid Australian coven, and one lone newborn who wanted to rip my throat out- I was bored, and began playing Temple run. I had bought a charger for my iPod- which I had charged by the receptionist's desk the day before. There weren't exactly power sockets in every room in the medieval style castle- and was trying to beat my high score.

Aro was fascinated by the 'little box with flashing lights' while Caius was scowling for me having distracted Aro with his duties. Marcus only looked on with a disinterested air.

I whooped as I beat my previous score- 6, 892, 029 points, causing Caius to growl at me. "Would you _please_ do something else on that _infernal_ contraption?"

I glared back, and when he looked away, I pulled a face and stuck my tongue out.

Alec saw me, and gave a silent laugh. I winked back.

Not really wanted to push his temper, I decided to go on YouTube for a bit, watching season 9 episode 2 of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. (The one where Emma cries)

I was almost dying of supressed laughter as I watched the scene where Ross was trying to punch Joey, when Aro suddenly appeared over my shoulder.

"Gah!" I yelled, jumping a foot into the air. Freaking vampires needed to stop skulking around.

"And what, pray tell is that? It seems deliciously amusing to you."

I tried not to let his disturbing language get to me, and replied still laughing- "I'm up to the bit where Ross- he's at the café and mad at Joey- is trying to punch him, but his reflexes really suck and he just ends up hurting himself instead- and it's just so….."

I was all but rolling on the ground at this point.

Aro was staring at my iPod with a bemused expression. "Why is the screen so small?" He asked.

I gave a final giggle, and explained. "They're not all that small. It's just because I'm on YouTube with my iPod- great reception by the way (wireless)- if you got a big-screen TV you could watch it in two leather barker loungers."

I nodded and smiled to myself. (Seasons around 2-9 have mentions of Joey and Chandler's famous lazy-boys)

Aro was still looking at me confused. I decided to give him a lesson in the world of American sitcoms.

I pulled out the earplugs, and set it to max volume, and started from the beginning of the show.

Aro gazed with fascination as the whole script played out. Ross getting mad at Joey for accidentally proposing to Rachel- Ross being mad at Rachel for accepting the false proposal- the 'welcoming home' party- the crack up scene where Ross tries to punch Joey…. The way Emma wouldn't stop crying.

Aro didn't seem to get it, and just alternated between looking at me- laughing, back to the screen, blinking confusedly, at a loss to understand what was so entertaining.

I took pity on him, and grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the throne room. I was a bit surprised that he let me, but I brushed it aside. After my two weeks or so being here, I had actually managed to get a fairly good mental map of the whole castle. It was _way_ bigger than I had imagined it to be- some of it above ground, but most of it below.

I led Aro to my newly refurbished room, which me and Jane had just finished renovating yesterday. If it had been humans working on it, it could have taken four months. Vampires did have their good points.

My 'new' room, had a deep purple and gold colour scheme, with shaded lights, low roman-style couches, a bed without a mattress- me Felix, Demetri, Jane, Alec and Afton had used if for roof-sledding (SO FUN!), and still hadn't gotten it back- and _two _closets. One for clothes- and the other one for me to sleep in.

But my goal was the huge flat screen T.V that Jane had gotten me that sat in the corner.

I knew Demetri had like ten in his room- hooked up with tonnes of video games and neon lights, but I liked using my own TV. If a room didn't have a TV, then what would all the furniture point to?

Felix had high-fived me on that one.

I told Aro to sit, then began pulling out cords and connecting my iPod to the TV. Until I bought the DVD version of Friends, I'd have to connect them… Pity the TV wasn't a Smart TV. It did have 3D though.

Aro had an inane interest in anything new or mildly entertaining. He was like a little kid who latched on to the newest things and quickly became obsessed with them. Jane still cursed the day she had introduced Aro to hairspray.

Don't ask me the story. She wouldn't tell me.

I was secretly wondering whether it would be a good idea to get Aro hooked to Friends, but I shook the thought off. Maybe it would be cool to have a fellow Friend's worshiper. (BTW I LOVE FRIENDS! (the TV show. Not that I'd don't like my real friends XD))

Finally I had set it up, and I scrolled through YouTube pages until I found Season One, Episode One, Pilot.

I settled down on one of the sofas, while Aro reclined on a one-armed roman sofa. I could almost imagine Aro as one of those ancient style paintings of guys dressed in togas eating grapes. I shook the image out of my mind.

I grabbed the remote, and hit play.

The events played out and after a few minutes of awkwardness when I laughed and Aro didn't, he finally got the drift of events, and began chuckling along with me.

I put up Episode 2- The one with the sonogram at the end- and that made it official. Aro was hooked. My eyes were half glazed from watching the TV for so long, but Aro didn't seem to tire of it at all. He even seemed to forget that he had left Marcus and Caius in the Throne room alone to deal with all the issues.

_Oops._

Marcus, I was pretty sure would let it slide, but Caius who was the goodie-goodie two shoes, would probably be mad at me distracting Aro. *Cue evil smirk*

I decided to ignore the problem for the moment. We watched episode after episode of Friends- until even I became bored, and I was the biggest fan of Friends you would ever be likely to meet…. Except Aro.

Finally when we reached Episode 10- The one with the monkey, I realized we had been in front of the television for over five hours. We had started watching at around eight o'clock, and now it was one in the afternoon.

It was _sort of_ awkward watching a TV show like Friends with the vampire king, especially seeing as there were some… _Themes_ which were REALLY awkward, but Aro's attention was fixed so much on the television, I doubted he even knew I was there.

I tried to drag Aro's attention away from the television, but failed miserably. _Somehow_ when I was in the middle of trying to tell Aro how irritated Caius would be, Aro managed to change the subject to a heated debate about how Chandler was obviously a much better character than Joey.

I wondered- offhandedly, why Aro- a guy who so obviously was fascinated by human inventions and incredibly mundane activities, killed humans daily.

Eventually, I just upped and left, leaving a vampire king sitting in my room, fixated on Ross's monkey- Marcel yanking on Monica's hair.

I wandered back to the throne room, which was once again empty except for a bored Marcus, and an irritated Caius.

Caius…

After the night when I almost got killed, Caius, although he was still hating on me, seemed to behave a tiny bit better after he had vented and blown off some steam.

Okay fine- a lot of steam.

He had taken to- instead of ignoring me- doing everything in his possible power to make annoy me, and/or make me miserable, just for his entertainment.

I didn't really understand the switch, and I couldn't decide whether or not the change was for better or for worse.

Marcus's hazy eyes seemed to clear a tiny bit as they fell on me. We'd grown a lot closer, and we had talks almost every night. He was just as easy to talk to as any of my other friends- even Jake… Before he left. Before my shape-shifter best friend left me just because my boyfriend was a vampire.

Marcus seemed to have knowledge about every single subject I could bring up- which made me envious of the two thousand year old vampire. Mostly I just asked him questions and he would answer, never seeming to tire of my endless babbling.

I walked over to the two vampire lords, and wondered what to say. _"Sorry- I just distracted your co-king, vampire leader, oh-so-powerful brother, buy playing an American sitcom for five hours straight."_

I decided that was a bit too obvious. Perhaps I'd better scout the battlefield first, to see how much trouble I was in. "So… What's up?" I asked cautiously.

To my utter disbelief and surprise, Caius spoke first, and his voice was almost- _impressed_? "How in hell's name did you manage to stand five hours locked up in a room with my brother?"

Marcus was staring at Caius in disbelief too.

"Um… I, well, we weren't really talking… We just watched TV…."

Caius's eyebrows raised.

I didn't really know how to respond, so I just gave a weird nod thing.

"So… You're not mad?"

Caius shrugged, a movement that seemed _very_ out of place with him. Was he being… _Nice_? Were those five hours actually five years? Was the world going crazy? What had happened?

"I'll go talk to him."

Caius winked, and hopped of his throne, blurring past me.

_What the hell just happened?_


	14. Chapter 14

**Words cannot express how sorry I am about not having updated in so long, but issues in my personal life, school, and an insane writers block have stopped me from updating. I AM SO SORRY YET AGAIN.**

**This chapter was sort of forced out, and I am so sorry that it is so short, hopefully I'll regain my touch later on, and the chapters will get longer.**

**Mainly this chapter is dedicated to Sajna18 who took the trouble to PM me personally to get me to update- thank you so much...**

**Well, I hope you do enjoy this chapter (hopefully) and that it settles some of your cravings for Bella and Caius. (and explains some stuff too.)**

Chapter Fourteen: Caius

_Exhausted_, was a word that I never applied to myself. We vampires did not _tire_, and very rarely did any physical exertion render us fatigued.

But that human…

She made me wish that for one day we vampires could _sleep_. Her voice was incessant, and I could never escape her.

She was _everywhere_. Even when I was not in her company, I could see traces of her everywhere. I could see her in the way the guards talked- using slang and all other kinds of new-fangled vocabulary, I could see her in the walls of the throne room, which she and Jane had begun renovating, I could see her in the golden eyes that Felix and Jane now sported- proof of their new disgusting and repulsive diet, and in every direction I turned.

I leaned sideways, lounging on my throne, resting my head on my clenched fist. Just a few seconds ago Isabella had towed Aro out of the room talking about 'friends'? I didn't understand why Aro put up with her nonsense.

After that night three days ago, I had calmed somewhat- and the human _had_ been doing less to be irritating.

"You are drifting brother."

My head raised slowly to look at Marcus.

"What?"

"You."

I had no time for his games- although admittedly in contrast there were no vampires in the hall right now bar me and Marcus- therefore I had a lot of time. (Edited curse that Caius uses on Bella just because she managed to make him think of tiny _insignificant_ details.) "What about me you idiot?"

Marcus's lips twitched upwards in a slight smile.

I was stunned. Which was saying a lot.

Marcus _smiled._

My brother, who had barely even _stirred_ for the first century after my sister's death and spent the remaining moping about in desolation for his loss, had just _smiled_. For a moment I saw a ghost of the former cheerful man he had used to be before Didyme's demise.

It was obviously the girl. Marcus had seemed less withdrawn ever since the girl had arrived, recovering some of his sense of humour, life (no pun intended) seeming to creep back into him slightly.

I had asked it once, and I would ask it again- _what was it about the girl that changed others so much?_

Marcus's amused voice interrupted my thoughts. "It seems you, like most of the guard, have adopted Bella's way of speaking."

_Did he just say what I heard?_

"I- what?"

"You are acting decidedly human Caius."

I was at a loss for words- something that only happened to-…. Humans.

I regained my voice. "What is the nonsense Marcus?"

"Bella. You are infatuated with her."

"_What?_" I was not infatuated with the girl. I hated her! The whole speech three nights ago had proven that! She was weak- a liability, and I could not _stand _her. "I am **not** infatuated with the girl Marcus. The years have addled your mind."

"Perhaps. But why then brother, is your mind constantly fixed upon her?"

_I_… I cursed my mind for being unable to form a response. She was constantly in my mind because she was so damn irritating! I was contemplating all plausible versions of her demise!

But of course, Marcus who now seemed to actually _care_ for the girl, as impossible as it sounded, would not take well to my answer, so I decided to edit... "She is not." …a lot.

"Indeed?" Marcus quirked an eyebrow. I had an urge to punch him in the face. A habit I had picked up undoubtedly from the girl. "Then why is it that she is all you talk about? For the past week or so you have been ranting on about her for goodness knows how long!"

I gazed at him, dumbstruck.

He continued regardless. "You are always complaining of her presence, and when she is not there you are complaining of what she does when she is. I do not believe that ever since she has arrived you have ever had a single conversation without mentioning her once or twice."

_Was he implying that I…._ How could my brother… Even worse than Aro…

"And from that you gather that I am _drawn_ to Isabella?" My voice was disbelieving, but it didn't hold as much venom as I wanted it to.

"You called her Isabella."

I bit my lip to keep myself from screaming at Marcus. A habit I had caught onto from the girl I realized. I cursed, and slouched lower into my throne, glaring at the doors opposite.

_Where_ had the girl dragged Aro off to now? I could hear muted scratchy sounds of a- what were the called- television, and harsh canned laughter. Obviously what the girl had been playing on that small square box with flashing lights.

A few more covens came in with their various reports and issues.

I could barely concentrate- and for vampires that was a great feat in itself. For the first time in my almost-three thousand years, I felt utterly and completely bored and in contempt with the petty issues that the other covens brought up. As Isabe- the human, had said a while ago- they were stupid and timewasting. I almost missed the girl in the room- at least that strange box she had was a distraction. (LOOK! HE's admitting that he misses her!)

But then, that was _almost._

It occurred to me then, that if Marcus was making hints at the girl, it would not be without grounds. And Marcus _could_ sense relationships. Should I ask?

A second later, I mentally disassembled myself and burned the pieces. On the day that I became a repulsive vegetarian vampire like the Cullens- which would never in my existence, _ever _happen- would be the day I asked that of my brother.

So we both sat on our thrones ignoring one another. I could not believe that Aro was still being distracted by that infernal contraption which was playing loud enough that I could hear the infernal laughter every ten seconds.

"…adora…"

My head snapped up. Had someone just said…

"I swear- I saw her- she was standing right then waiting for someone- I swear!"

"Who?" Marcus snapped.

I tried to pay attention. Marcus rarely snapped.

"Athenadora milords, she was in a small town somewhere south of here."

_Athenadora?_

Shock. Happiness. Anger. Fear…. Hope?

Emotions that I had not felt for centuries flooded through me, each more outrageous than the last. Shock? _Happiness?_ Anger? _Fear? Hope?_

Shock. She could not be alive. She was dead- I saw her burned to ash.

Happiness? Impossible. I had not felt that emotion in centuries.

Anger. Yes, that was appropriate. How _dare_ that vampire before us flaunt her name with such ease.

Fear? No. I did not feel _fear_. I didn't fear for anything. I barely cared for anything, and so fear was out of the question. But. But the fear was not only that. Fear that what the vampire said was true, and fear that it wasn't.

Hope. A second chance.

_A second chance._

"Where?!" I snarled, out of my throne, and gripping the vampire by his shoulders- Mark, I thought his name was- before I myself had caught up with my actions.

The vampire leaned away from me slightly, afraid- as he well should be. "By the neighbouring town Master- south of here- I saw her standing outside the gates as though waiting for someone."

For a split second I wished I was Aro- a horrible thought- and could read all the memories with the slightest touch.

I needed proof- and as Aro was otherwise distracted…

"Describe her to me." I spat, hating myself for asking favours of others.

"She… She… She had brown hair… With gold and red streaks, she was tall… and… She was… She was wearing a necklace… With something that looked like a bird… And…" The vampire was shaking with fear, but I had heard enough.

I waved a hand dismissing him, and emotions I had kept locked up, buried so deep I could barely remember them, flooded over me.

It was true.

She was _alive_.

I did not know how it was true- I did not care really- but it was _true_. Thank the fates that Aro was not here- he would have ordered me a full escort, and spent hours deliberating, checking every facet of the truth. Marcus would be far more lenient.

A smile crept up on my face, scaring the vampire who was still in my grasp to death- I released the vampire, and returned to my throne to give him a formal dismissal. He left- Corrin accompanying him.

I gave a quick nod to my brother- who inclined his head. He knew my thoughts exactly. If it was Didyme- my sister- he would not have hesitated to leave.

I was just about to leave- the sun be damned, when a heartbeat sounded, getting closer- and then Isabella came into view.

I felt a sudden rush of gratitude towards the girl for keeping Aro distracted, and I did not even berate myself to feeling that way. Athena had always managed to bring about the strangest emotions in me.

She walked over to us nervously, and I did not even have the heart to begin with a scathing comment.

"So…" she was alternating between looking at me, and Marcus. "What's up?"

I was so eager to be _gone_ from here- to see Athena… "How in hell's name did you manage to stand five hours locked up in a room with my brother?" I asked, a hint of admiration creeping into my tone. I couldn't have cared less. In a few minutes I would be seeing Athena again…. Athena….

I could see Marcus almost gapping at me out of the corner of my eye.

"Um... I, well, we weren't really talking… We just watched TV…" she stammered out. The way she blushed was a duplicate of the way that Athena had when she was human. My eyebrows lifted- a truly admirable feat to stand being with my brother for more than a few minutes at a time.

She gave a slight uncomfortable nod before asking in a way that was rather amusing- "So… You're not mad?"

_Hardly._

Grateful in fact.

I shrugged, the need to leave this place- to find Athena- _why had she not come here instead? I thought she was dead!_ Was growing.

I saw shock and disbelief clear on her face, but I no longer had time for formalities. "I'll go talk to him." I said- I had no intension of seeing my brother- he would merely delay me with his speeches and organize a full party of the Volturi to accompany me- but this was something I had to do myself. Unbelievable happiness bubbling up inside me. It was almost beyond belief how much Athena had affected me… At first I had been angry beyond reckoning, now she had transformed me into a lovesick fool- and I did not even mind.

I winked at Isabella- something that shocked me halfway to death- and by the look on her face, her too, and ran lightly out of the room.

I needed to see Athena.

Now.


	15. Chapter 15

**For SesshomaruXXR, thank you for the passionate PM... XD**

Chapter Fifteen: Caius

I saw her.

She was standing statue still by the river that ran straight around the town, and as soon as I set eyes on her, it was as if the past five centuries had never happened.

I had exited Voltera, barely patient enough to conceal myself in the shadows before I broke out into a full run.

My vampire speed was could not carry myself to her fast enough.

She was just as perfect as ever, down to every last detail. She was- even as the other vampire had told me- wearing the necklace in the image of a swallow that I had given her when we first met almost two thousand years ago in what was now called England.

Some part of me was clamouring for attention- yelling that it was not possible that she was here right now- I had seen her burn before my very eyes… But right now before those same eyes- I could see her- Athena.

Happiness, intense, powerful, all consuming, devouring and complete happiness. It was like the centuries had fallen away from me, and I was meeting her for the first time, a young ignorant fool hopelessly in love.

She turned to face me as I was only a few meters away, her beautiful hair shimmering in the noon rays of the sun- her skin glittering faintly- falling away from her face.

Her delicate features curved upwards in a gentle smile.

I staggered back.

"Athena?"

The word escaped my lips before I could pull it back, and a wall of fury reared up inside me.

It wasn't her.

The features were the same true- and she was the Athena I remembered in looks, but her ruby eyes held none of the fire the Athena I knew had, and her smile had none of the mockery and haughtiness that Athena did.

"What?" asked the woman confusedly, and as I struggled with myself, the voice was most certainly Athena's but…

The woman's form flickered. One second it was Athena down to the very last detail, and the next it was…. Not.

As I concentrated, Athena wavered, and before my eyes, stood a vampire who was not Athena.

The breeze changed direction, and several different scents assailed me.

A trap.

"Ah Caius, you are awfully easy to predict."

I snarled, but the sound was hollow even in my own ears. Despair hung over me like a cresting wave, and the _hope_ that had been in my dead veins leeched out of me (no pun intended) leaving me empty.

A trick?

All that hope, all that wretched _happiness _was a lie. Of course Athena was not there, she was dead, I was a fool to believe otherwise. Now the long buried emotions turned rancid, and ate into me from the inside out.

I struggled to find the anger inside me that had supported me for the past centuries.

A group of seven vampires stepped out of seemingly thin air around me. Undoubtedly one of their gifts.

Stefan and Vladimir were at the front.

"And some of us thought that you would not take the bait dear Caius. I do believe you have met our Bianca-" he gestured towards the female who blinked, and suddenly she was Athena again, then myself, then Aro, then Jane, then Sculpia…

I lowered myself into a defensive crouch. Yes I was confident in my own abilities, but myself against eight other vampires- all trained I supposed- would not be at all in my favour.

"I would keep gloating-" continued Stefan, and I tried to breach the gaping hole inside me to find the heat and anger…

"…but I am in a hurry to get this over with, lots of tasty humans to drain you understand?" Stefan nodded as if it was the most obvious thing. "Goodbye Caius."

His self-centred smirk did it, and focusing solely on an image of Athena- my Athena, the flowing hair, arched eyebrows, finely carved cheekbones, deep clear brown eyes… I flung myself into the fight.

It was only later that I wondered at the eyes. Athena, when she was human, had had blue eyes.

~~~(O.o)~~~

**_Bella_**

I walked slowly up towards Marcus, wondering whether Caius's two thousand eight hundred + years had gone to his head. "Is… Is he alright?" I asked Marcus, glancing back to where Caius had vanished to. For someone who said they were going to talk to Aro, he was going in the wrong direction.

Marcus's features seemed to become less bored as he stared at me. "He merely received some good news."

"Oh."

I didn't know what Caius would classify as good, apart from mass genocide, and mass extermination of humans in general, but seeing as I hadn't heard of either of those things happening I guessed it was something I hadn't heard about yet.

"Keeping my brother entertained I see."

I shrugged slightly. Yes I did love F.R.I.E.N.D.S- something Edward never could understand- he said that it was a degrading show highlighting all of the worst human traits, but even five hours of it non-stop did do my head in a bit.

"Well he's easy to distract," I muttered.

Marcus chuckled.

Chuckled?

Yes I had been making progress with him, but had he just almost _laughed?_ It was a miracle from above. That, or the world was ending. First Aro obsessed with F.R.I.E.N.D.S, then Caius all smiley, now Marcus almost laughing.

"That he is." He said while shaking his head.

I shrugged slightly, and plonked back down of the steps in my previous position. "Where'd he go then?" I asked curiously. I did like to think that I knew Caius, well a bit better than most other people, but he didn't seem like the type to run out of the room in the middle of the day almost _happy_.

Either he was drunk, or someone had hit him really hard over the head with a sky scraper.

"Where'd he go anyway?"

"Oh to the next town to meet someone." There it was again with the slight smile.

"Meet someone?"

"I imagine you'll see when he gets back." Marcus glanced at me suddenly, as though trying to gauge my reaction. I didn't know why he would imagine I would mind. Probably it was some vampire rebel who they had been hunting for centuries who had suddenly turned up, and Caius was overjoyed to go and destroy them.

I didn't know at what point I started treating deaths with such indifference, but I had watched Caius kill a vampire in front of my very eyes, and him drain a human dry not three meters from me, so I guessed death wasn't really a new thing for me. After all, millions of people died every day, and millions lost loved ones of natural causes. Too bad for the ones who died early.

I mentally began banging my head against a wall. Caius was rubbing off on me. Something I shuddered at.

Some more vampires came and left, glancing curiously at the two empty thrones. Marcus seemed resigned to the fact that Aro obviously wasn't going to be leaving my room anytime soon, and Caius obviously wasn't returning.

Offhandedly I wondered why Aro was the leader- I mean I knew they had said that they were all equal rulers, but it was kind of obvious that Aro was the one who was mainly in charge. _Why though?_ I mean for all Caius's sadistic nature, he did seem more like the leader type, Aro… he was just too- _Aro_. And Caius was older than him anyway.

I drummed my fingers absentmindedly against the marble steps, feeling… Bored.

Well more bored than usual really. I tried to find the difference. Before was just as boring yes, and so was the other time I had been present in there 'council' sessions, but now was just downright suicidially dull.

With some chagrin, I realized that without Demetri's calm presence, Felix's subtle jokes, Alec's boyish attitude, Jane's bubbliness (although when she entered the throne room she became a cold-hearted bitch for appearances), Aro's…. Physco…ness, and Caius's constant orderings for execution, the days were very boring.

Wait… what?

Did I just say I missed Aro?

Screw that, did I just say I missed _Caius_?

I held an internal debate. Caius? Caius? Caius? Caius? _Caius?_ I mean that in itself was the whole argument. _Caius?_

Why the hell would I miss him? Sure he was entertaining when he blew his top at the smallest things, smashing walls and roaring at anyone who came near, but then I was just as amused when Felix threw temper tantrum fits after Demetri beat him when they sparred. It was amazing, watching vampires fight each other. They all moved so fast it looked like two black blurs whipping around the room, until suddenly one was pinned beneath the other.

I'd even seen Jane verse Felix, without her power, and I couldn't help but worry about her, but a minute later I wasn't worrying anymore as she succeeded in pulling off both Felix's arms, and slamming him into a wall.

But still. Really? _Caius?_

Yes he had saved my life, but it was hardly the Prince Charming rescuing princess from the dragon- type scenario.

More like bipolar pissy Prince Vampire Lord rescuing the pathetic lousy human from the vampire who wanted to kill her to spite the other vampires living up in Dracula's castle- classic story.

Whoa. When did I start comparing my life story to a fairy tale?

_Caius?_

_FREAKING STOP THINKING HIS NAME!_

I yelled at myself.

Yeah, stop thinking his name! It wasn't like it was going to be changing anytime soon. I mean we argued _all _the time, like _all_ the time.

I smiled inwardly. Fun.

**_WHAT?_**

Um, since when was it _fun_? And why hadn't I even used sarcasm? I didn't have _fun_ arguing with Caius! We just both basically yelled for a bit before he either stormed out of the room, was dragged away by Aro, or I lost my voice from screaming.

Yeah see? ABOVE- three different reasons why I should not be missing Caius.

But it was still boring.

After Marcus had dealt with the last case, something about an exposure somewhere in Africa, he dismissed everyone, seeming just as bored as I was- and if it was possible for a vampire- tired.

I stood and stretched, feeling my joints pop and crackle like I was ninety years old. "So what do we do now?" I asked. I didn't really have anything to do, I didn't feel like going back to my room where Aro was, and most of the guard was busy.

Marcus shrugged, a motion that seemed very out of place and… human, on him. Of all of the vampires I had met- apart from Carlisle, Marcus did seem like the only vampire who still acted partly human.

"I have no preferences as of now, what do you do, my dear, at this time during the day?"

_What do I do_?

"I'm up for anything," I said truthfully. Really I didn't have much else to do- and if Marcus could put up with me then great. "What would you be doing?"

I couldn't see Marcus really doing what the other members of the guard did with me- stuff like pillow fights, mattress surfing, watching TV like Aro was now, playing video games… Absentmindedly I wondered if the reason why so many of the guard liked doing childish things with me was because it reminded them of when they were human, and sometimes it was just fun to do stupid stuff for no reason at all.

But Marcus… I imagined him to be more of someone who like to read quietly, like me most of the time.

"I usually am in the library, or in the gardens."

Ah. See? I was becoming an Alice. "Cool! What's your favourite book?" Probably one of the classics, Marcus wasn't the type to be reading new contemporary books. Heck, the classics probably _were_ contemporary for Marcus.

"I do enjoy Shakespeare's works." Marcus said, turning and beginning to walk out of the room at a human pace so I could follow.

Ah, what did I say?

"..and on occasion I paint a little."

_Paint?_ That was interesting. A sudden image of Marcus, up to his elbows in paint, tongue sticking out of his mouth in concentration as he painted the outline of a sunset.

I had to choke back my laugh.

We had just passed my room, the echoes of laughter and Aro's weird high-pitched but at the same time loud and booming chuckles drifted over to us, when all of a sudden, Demetri rounded the corner, walking towards us at vampire speed- little more than a blur, and addressed Marcus, the speed and volume of his words an almost soundless hum to my human ears.

I didn't hear the words, but Marcus's face dissolved into pure flat fury in one second.

One second ago he had been half-smiling, his hazy ruby eyes gleaming slightly, and now his face was dark and angry, while his eyes were an obsidian black.

The door to my room banged open with a thunderous crash, and Aro appeared next to Demetri, hand outstretched, palm facing upwards, an odd gesture that went oddly with his closed off expression.

Demetri touched his index finger to Aro's hand, and just as suddenly as Marcus, his expression was just as angry, the lack of maniac energy and demented happiness frightening me.

He stayed that way for around ten seconds more, ten seconds in which I was getting increasingly frustrated. What was it that Demetri knew that Aro and Marcus were acting so strongly to?

~~~(o.O)~~~

**_Aro_** (HA! Weren't expecting that were you?)

Ah the delights of human's entertainment systems. These characters- Chandler, Joey, Monica, Phoebe, Rachel and Ross, ah they would be wonderful to meet one day!

I had to introduce these people to Caius and Marcus! Perhaps they would brighten up my brother-in-law, and bring the edge off Caius's death-and-more-death's personality! Joey would get along splendidly with Felix, while Ross would be excellent with Afton and Demetri. Chandler and Santiago, and perhaps he would go quite well with me too. Rachel could be sisters with Heidi and maybe Jane, although Jane would like Phoebe too. Monica would like Alec perhaps…!?

I was considering paying these characters a visit and changing them so we could be entertained by their antics for longer! Ross and Phoebe, and maybe even Chandler did show promises of rather potent gifts if they were changed! Phoebe perhaps even would take after young Alice.

Young Alice… The possibilities of her gift were endless.

Also young Bella. She would do excellently when she becomes an immortal! I had such hopes for her, never in my two thousand and fifty eight years had I met a person- immortal or otherwise, who would confound my gift.

Speaking of which, I could hear her heartbeat drawing closer, and above the delightful sounds of Rachel screaming verbal abuse at Chandler, who apparently with an unforgivable lack of social etiquette had chanced upon her unrobed after straightening up from the contents of a wonderful object called a _fridge_, I could hear Marcus talking to Demetri.

"…_the mind Master Caius told me to trace a few days ago, it had vanished, but now I can sense it again, a few miles south, along with seven other unfamiliar minds surrounding Master Caius… I am uncertain of what exactly this means, but it is doubtful that this is a-_"

"_Indeed, however, Caius had just had news of Athenadora- this may be-_"

I jerked to my feet, the door to Isabella's room banging open with a thunderous crash, and I sped to Demetri's side, my hand outstretched impatiently.

Caius had left Voltera without informing me?

Athenadora- my sister in law was possibly _alive_?

Demetri touched his hand to mine, and images instantly flashed before my eyes. I was used to this, so I merely sped past eight hundred years' worth of memories, and focused on the past few days.

Yes it was true, Demetri seeking out the minds of Stefan and Vladimir, but their minds seemed to have vanished, brilliant points of light disappearing from the field of the bright sea of minds that Demetri could see. They were invisible just like young Isabella's mind.

Was it possible that the Romanians had acquired a gift like Isabella's? That her gift was not entirely unique to her?

Then not only a few minutes ago, Caius's mind had sped west like a demon hell-bent, towards a new point of light whose tenor was wavering like unsure of what form to take, a few seconds more, then seven more minds appeared, surrounding Caius. Two of the minds were Stefan and Vladimir's.

I yanked my mind out of Demetri's, snarling slightly.

My face hardened into a furious mask- and Marcus touched my shoulder, and _his_ memories rushed through my mind. I focused on the meeting of him and a vampire named Mark who claimed to have seen Athenadora.

Impossible. She was dead, torn to pieces before Caius's very eyes, but apparently Caius had forgotten so, and he had rushed from Voltera filled with renewed hope.

I pulled away, feeling a mixture of pity and anger at my brother. I knew if I lost Sculpia I would be pretty much the same, hungering after the slightest hope that she might have survived however implausible the idea was, but angry that Stefan and Vladimir dared play such a cowardly trick, luring Caius out of the castle to ambush him, using a vampire that obviously had a gift to imitate others, although she could not confound Demetri's gift, hence the mind that flickered in his sight.

"Gather the remaining guard," I snapped at Demetri, knowing that many of them were off on separate missions in Asia, something about an immortal child. "We must hurry to Caius's aid."

**I know I know, cliffhanger-ish, and really weird last sentence, but still... HAS CAIUS SURVIVED? But the of course he has- because if he doesn't the story might as well end next chapter... And I'm not that cruel.**

**I thought that I might just enter Aro POV because I thought it'd be cool to get inside his head for once, really hard to write... I know he isn't as crazy as I'd like him to be, but I guess he does need to be sensible sometimes...**

**SO HOW WAS THAT? Really bad? Really good? Dunno. Please reveiw... I can handle flames- I'm tough.. :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**Lol, apparently I've been spelling Sulpicia wrong - I worte Sculpia, sorry! Probably in the future I'll go back and fix it- sorry for the inconvenice! **

**I know this is a short chapter, but I'm posting two chapters in one day today, and this is basically focusing on how Aro sees his brother- Caius... Have patince young ones, have patience. And may the force be with you.**

**Disclaimer: This is not mine. XD**

Chapter Sixteen: Bella.

I ran after Aro, Marcus and Demetri as they sped- vampire speed down the hall. I supposed I was meant to follow- because as fast as they were going- I could still keep up.

I still wasn't getting what was going on. HELLO? Ignorant human here!

I could distantly hear Aro calling for the rest of the guard- Jane, Alec, Santiago… To meet him in the throne room, so I cut across several rooms, and miraculously arrived in the throne room at the same time that the rest of the vampires did.

None of them even seemed to notice me- which was a first. Felix didn't even crack a single joke.

Aro and Marcus took charge, explaining what Demetri had seen- I thanked whoever was up there that while they were speaking really fast- I could still understand them.

Regardless, I was still confused. There was something about Caius falling for a trick that Aro didn't really explain properly- I supposed he didn't want to give the guard all the details- and leaving Voltera and walking straight into a trap. Apparently the vampire that had tried to kill me those night ago- the one that had escaped- had somehow managed to escape Demetri's gift, but now he just popped up a minute ago somewhere south of here.

Confused?

Yeah. That makes the two of us.

"…Alec, Demetri, Afton and Santiago- you will be accompanying Marcus and I." finished Aro, "Felix and Corin- stay behind."

And they were gone before I could blink.

Felix walked over to me, Corin following. His face was unusually serious without its trademark boyish grin. "Hey Bella, watchca doing?"

I scowled at him. "What's going on? Why would Caius be so stupid?" Okay, call me crazy, but I was worried. Much as I hated him, it didn't necessarily mean I wanted him dead.

Felix's lips didn't even twitch upwards into a smile like they usually would have when I insulted Caius. "Master Caius may be many things, certainly not stupid however, although sometimes some particular… things… May cause him to… Act rashly. Therefore Lord Aro may need to… assist him."

Felix picked out the words so carefully, it was like they were going to explode if handled wrong.

"Okay, then what was that about Stefan? Isn't he the guy who tried to kill me a few days ago?"

Felix's expression relaxed slightly- but only slightly- he still looked tense.

"Yes, apparently it was an organized ambush for Master Caius set up by the Romanians."

I bit back a smile, Felix sounded weird when he spoke like that, all formal with no hint of humour.

"Will they all be okay?"

"Yes of course. Master Caius is a great fighter, and he will have be able to fend them off until Aro arrives."

I blinked. From what I had heard, it was Caius against eight other vampires. He must be…. A _very_ good fighter. "So why were you two left behind?"

Felix finally smiled, the boyish grin that reminded me so much of Emmett, and replied, poking me in the stomach the way Jake, *wince* used to. "Well someone has to stay behind to protect the human right?" he joked.

I gave him my cue scowl and elbow in the stomach, which gave me a bruise, then glanced at him. "So if you've got nothing better to do, then what do you say we go and retrieve that mattress off the roof?" (**For** **AnonymousAngel, thanx for the review!**)

~~~(O.o)~~~

**_Aro_**

I had to admire my brother- though I would never admit it, he was a terrifying yet also awe inspiring sight.

He had been leading General in the Roman Army, a better leader than even Julius after him. When we were younger- even though it was millennia ago, I had always envied him while I watched him train with the other soldiers.

Julius was merely a shadow of Caius before Caius had vanished one night, leaving Julius free to shine.

Then twenty years later, the night after Julius's murder- not that my siblings nor I cared much, Caius appeared, looking just as young as he had been when he had disappeared, with crimson eyes and skin that was ice cold and as hard as rock -I discovered such when I took a sword to his neck- the action that caused Caius to turn me, apparently liking my spirit. He also turned Didyme, she had ever been his favourite sister.

Marcus he had turned as we fled Rome, Didyme- somehow even through the pain of her change seeming to recognize her future-to-be mate, forcing Caius to change him.

After a decade had passed, and we had managed to hone down our thirst, we set our sights on power. We could have been kings in Rome- look how far Julius had gone- now we could be even higher than that.

Caius could have been an ideal king before Athenadora's… death. Less bent on destruction and torture, more just and fair. Instead he turned inward, and focused back on war. The god of war- Jasper Whitlock in Carlisle's coven was nothing compared to Caius who has spent centuries honing his talent. Caius's skill, along with his gift, made him near undefeatable, except when pitted against Jane or Alec.

And hence the scene that greeted us as we followed Demetri across the plains- dimly illuminated by the slowly setting sun.

Already there were two burning corpses lying on the ground, the hazy smoke drifting upwards, and the harsh scent of burning vampire assailed me.

Caius was weaving around the remaining six, an expression of such barely controlled rage I flinched slightly.

But even in such a situation, he regained his head, and his attacks were calm and well thought out. He did not attack all at once, merely singling out a direct attack against one every now and then, snarls erupting from his chest.

However the graceful dance broke off almost immediately as the wind changed, and the six remaining stiffened, turning slightly.

Caius took advantage, and tore the head off one of the vampires before the other five could react.

In one smooth well practiced motion, the remaining turned, and fled.

We were on them in seconds.

One was promptly detached by Alec and Marcus, and we were about to turn on the other four, when they vanished.

My mind was at war with itself both sides battling. _Such_ a gift. Then- they are _not_ getting away.

It was clear, although they were obscured from sight, their scents were still there, and therefore they were still within our reach.

Instinctively I pounced, slamming into a vampire who I could not see, however that mattered not. Memories flooded through me, fast and potent. With one twist of my arms, the head snapped with a splintering sound, and the screech of tearing metal, and suddenly the body appeared beneath me.

I turned furiously towards where the other three- Stefan and Vladimir had escaped- had ran, and signalled Demetri and Alec to follow.

The chances of them overtaking would be slim, but I would not condone their act.

I turned to Caius as he set fire to the bodies, his face now it's customary blank mask, although his eyes could not conceal all of his emotions.

A _hollowness._

Just like when Athenadora had first died.

I decided not to berate him on his rash behaviour, and instead focused on other matters.

"Are you alright?" I asked quickly, knowing that he disliked displays of emotion- and that I was not one do give any.

He gave a curt nod, then scowled in the direction of the remaining Romanians. "Will Demetri find them?"

I frowned slightly, watching Santiago scatter the ashes. "I doubt it. I have seen his memories, and apparently they have one among them who can shield them from visible sight, and block Demetri's power."

"Like Isabella."

I glanced at him, as did Marcus. It was odd, him referring to Bella by her real name, rather than _human,_ or _girl_. I resisted the urge to brush my hand against his to read his thoughts, I supposed I had to respect his privacy, such as it was.

"Yes. Much like her."

Caius kicked at one of the piles of ashes. A faint scent drifted towards me. Female.

"Another one of their gifts?" Marcus asked, gesturing towards the ashes. This was undoubtedly the female with the gift of imitation. I growled inwardly. In any other circumstances, both vampires- the female and the other- probably the other male, who escaped with Stefan and Vladimir, would have made excellent additions to the guard.

As it was, the female was now dead- undoubtedly a product of Caius's rage and betrayal, and the male- Declan, the name was-( judging by the vampire I had killed memories), would be too dangerous to leave alive.

Caius merely glared, utter hatred in his gaze, and he began yelling at Afton to clear up the mess, then ignoring Marcus and I he whirled around, and set off for Voltera.

I frowned after him. Hopefully he would get better over time.

As it was, I had more pressing matters to deal with. I wanted to see how Joey's father's unplanned visit would play out, and a trip to a particular coffee shop named Central Perk to visit in the city New York in America.

I wondered what kind of an immortal Phoebe would make.

Giving Santiago orders to help Afton, Marcus and I turned, and followed.


	17. Chapter 17

**Okay, as of the next chapter,I am going to try and start focusing solely on the Bella/Caius relationship, because I have a feeling- and I am pretty sure many other people are having the feeling, that their relaitonship is moving too slow, and I can't even use the 'steady build' excuse any more XD.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**(And from now on I am going to be using my own story line completely- I won't be stealing any more ideas from Onwind :) )**

**This chapter is for Unicorn360**

Chapter Seventeen: Bella.

"I dare you to kiss Felix."

Jane spluttered incoherently as she gapped at me, then gapped at Felix, then back again. Her expression was hands down Laughing My Ass Off And Rolling On The Floor Almost Dying. Hardly traditional, but still.

It was three months ago that Caius had come back from wherever it was he had gone to, and had been acting weird ever since.

No-one would tell me what had happened, and eventually I stopped asking. I guessed I would be pissed too if someone kept on prying.

Caius had been more and more on edge and absolutely unapproachable for the first month, then the second month, he had gone through this whole phase where he went on this insane hunting spree in surrounding towns- I heard that the Volturi had disguised it so that it looked like they had died of an illness, and on the news I saw people speculating on whether or not it was a new virus.

I knew I should have been scared, and maybe even mad at Caius handling whatever-it-was so badly, but I just felt sorry for him. Guess the guy needed an outlet for his emotions. Even if it was slaughtering dozens of people. (**I know Bella seems really off-hand about all these deaths, and really OOC, as compared to the Bella we know from the original Twilight Series who was horrified by killing people, but I figure, as Caius isn't going to become a veggie vamp, because that's just stretching plausibility too far- Bella should acknowledge his side.**)

The third month I hadn't even seen him. He'd vanished without a trace and no-one knew where he was. Or at least if they did, they didn't let on that they did know. Well I _knew_ they knew. Aro and Marcus didn't seem at all concerned, and although the guard was a little more respectful, they still weren't worrying.

I didn't know why I cared so much though.

"I… You… Bella, I will kill you!" Jane finally snarled glaring at me.

I shrugged and gave her a smirk. "Been there, done that." This was like the seventy ninth death threat she had given me in the past hour. "Dare's a dare."

Felix was grinning broadly, and he winked at Jane. I was surprised she didn't have him writhing on the floor in agony right away.

Jane made a barely audible sound of annoyance and frustration, then in one swift motion, she had crossed the circle we were sitting in, and shoved her lips to Felix's.

We- Corrin, Alec, Demetri, Santiago, Chelsea, Heidi, Afton and me all hooted and clapped, expecting Jane to flounce off straight afterwards, torturing some of them for good measure, but she didn't.

She remained glued to Felix.

One second.

Okay, she seemed… To be enjoying herself?

Two seconds.

_Her_ arms were going around _his_ neck, and _his _arms were going around _her_ body.

Three seconds.

Definitely not letting go.

Four seconds.

She seemed to be melting into him.

Five seconds.

Really enjoying themselves.

Six seconds.

Starting to get awkward.

Seven seconds.

Now they were starting to make noises that made me distinctly uncomfortable.

Eight seconds.

I exchanged glances with the rest of the vampires in the room.

Nine seconds.

Their hands were… wandering.

Ten seconds.

What. The. Hell?

Eleven seconds.

I cleared my throat.

Twelve seconds.

I cleared my throat louder.

Thirteen seconds.

I cleared my throat so loudly, I imagined I could have been heard from the other side of the castle.

Fourteen seconds.

No reaction.

Fifteen seconds.

I all but yelled at them to stop.

_Finally _they both pulled apart. Felix looked slightly punch drunk, his boyish face sagging into a rather bemused goofy smile kind of like a kitten had landed on his face, then started beating him up. Jane looked embarrassed, but also rather defensive. "What?"

"Dude, nice!" whistled Demetri, while the other guys nodded in agreement.

Heidi stuck her tongue out at them, then punched Demetri in the shoulder, something that sounded like the muffled collision of two boulders.

Demetri winced. "Ow, what was that for?"

Heidi shrugged, and glanced over at Jane. "Now if you two lovebirds are done, it's my turn!"

If vampires could blush, I could tell Jane would be beetroot red. She slid back over to where she was sitting before, and didn't even glare at anyone.

Alec was hiding a smile, but he patted Jane's back consolingly anyway.

Jane ignored him, and picked up her shot-glass, throwing it back in one gulp.

We were playing a mix version of spin-the-bottle, 'Have you ever', and Truth or Dare.

Basically it was Truth or Dare, but for every completed 'truth' or dare, you had a shot of vodka, alcohol being the only human substance that vampires could actually still taste. Hence the mini-bar. Whoever spun the bottle, had to ask a truth question, or a dare, on the victim. By the end, the person who was the most drunk- or really, because vampires couldn't get drunk- the person who had the most shots won.

So far I'd had three, and I wasn't even feeling woozy. Go me!

Heidi spun the bottle, and it landed on Afton. She grinned, a smile that looked evil on her stunning face. "Truth or Dare?"

Afton looked like he was trying to steel himself. "Dare."

Heidi's smile grew. "I dare you to cut off the power to Aro's TV."

Oh shit.

Afton's expression was one of pure terror. "…what?"

I would hate to be in his shoes.

~~~(o.O)~~~

We all huddled in my room before my TV, watching with bated breath, as Afton crept along the corridors towards the newly-installed power generator. Aro had demanded that Voltera castle be equipped with a TV in every room so he could watch FRIENDS whenever he wanted.

It was hilarious on Fridays when the vampires visiting saw Aro watching FRIENDS from the huge projector/screen set up in the middle of the hall.

Now we watched the live footage of Afton sneaking along. Alec was holding the camera, filming it all. He had somehow hooked the camera up to the TV so we could watch it from here, out of the range of fire. He was something of a technical whizz.

Also from a camera in Aro's room, we could see him sitting cross-legged before his own giant flat-screen TV, with 3-D glasses perched weirdly on his nose, two inches away from the screen like a three year old.

Priceless.

I didn't even ask why he was wearing 3D glasses, it wasn't like FRIENDS needed to be viewed in 3D.

The screen cut to Afton reaching the generator, his fingers hesitating slightly before the switch that would cut the power to Aro's room.

We all leaned forward in anticipation.

His fingers crept even closer.

For a vampire, he sure was moving really slow.

_Snap._

The low sound could still be heard even by the cameras.

A distant roar sounded, and we all flinched. Vampire hearing or not, Aro's roar was loud enough for me to be able to imagine he was standing right next to me. There was a snapping sound and Alec and Afton appeared back in the room with us. I started a bit. Several months and I still wasn't used to Afton's gift.

We all broke out into hushed giggles, in case Aro could hear us, and watched the TV, as Aro went completely crazy.

At first he just stared at the TV like he was waiting for it to automatically turn back on. When it didn't he started walking around in circles like he was trying to determine the problem.

Then he started getting mad, and banging his head on the wall, like a sulky kid, then he seemed to lose it completely, and whirled around the room like a tornado, destroying everything except for the TV, and the camera carefully concealed in a corner. (Felix and Alec had tagged the whole castle with cameras a while ago so they could watch their practical jokes play out from a safe distance, how Aro hadn't found out yet I had absolutely no idea)

Eventually when the contents of his room were totally and completely destroyed- something I guessed Sulpica wouldn't be too pleased about, he started bouncing up and down on his heels so fast, it looked like something you'd see in a bugs-bunny cartoon.

After around ten minutes of this, where all of us were holding our breath- for the vampires literally, while I had to take a breath every minute or so- Aro finally seemed to calm down a bit, and then he vanished off screen.

Crap.

"Alec! The other cameras!" I hissed quickly, and Alec began flicking through the cameras so fast, I couldn't catch a single picture, but judging by Alec's expression he couldn't find-

The door to my room burst open, the door itself breaking off its hinges and flying across the room, where it slammed into the wall opposite. Great. That would be the fifth new door in the past few months.

Aro was standing in the doorway, raven hair dishevelled, and his hazy ruby eyes flaming. "_Who._" He said, the one word loaded with implications. "_Who,_ disrupted Rachel and Ross's bickering?"

Of course, being the brave –stand-up-for-friends-type-, we all pointed at Heidi and Afton.

Aro gave a swift nod, his face suddenly calm, and gestured at the two of them.

Heads hanging, and looking like two children caught in the wrong, Afton and Heidi trailed out of the gaping hole where my door used to be, but not before shooting the rest of us –I-will-get-you-later-for-this- looks.

As they disappeared out of our sight, I saw Afton look like he was contemplating teleporting somewhere safe until all of the drama was over.

When they were gone, I let out a sigh of relief.

"Awesome." Said Felix, shaking his head, not looking at all sorry for Afton or Heidi as he grabbed Afton's shot, and drank it himself.

Jane shot him a glare, and he winced, then we all settled back down in our circle.

Corin spun, and it landed on Demetri. "Truth or Dare?"

"Dare," he grinned.

Three seconds later, Demetri was standing on his head in the corner. Now we'd just have to see if he could hold it for five hours.

Chelsea spun, and it landed on Felix. "Truth or Dare?"

Felix seemed to think for a few seconds, then after glancing rather obviously at Jane, said: "Truth."

Chelsea grinned like it was what she was waiting for. "Felix do you like Jane?"

All the colour- and believe me when I say this, but his vampire face was already bone white- leeched out of Felix's face , and he stared at Jane.

I smiled to myself, it was kind of obvious they liked each other, even if before their display of affection had been a bit… disturbing.

"Um… Yes?" he said, almost like it was a question, but his eyes were fixed on Jane's half sheepish, and half anticipating an attack.

The circle was silent for a second, as we stared at both Felix and Jane.

After a while, Jane gave a small smile, and a nod, and we all relaxed.

"My turn!" yelled Felix, seeming to recover, tearing his 'lovesick' gaze away from Jane and he spun.

It landed on me. Oh great shiz balls. Of all of the people to get me- he had to. "Truth or Dare?"

Coward as I was, I chose truth. The last dare I had gotten… Let's just say I was still mentally scarred. "Truth."

Felix tutted at me. "Oh is little itty bitty Bella afraid of me?"

I thought of various scathing comebacks, but seeing as he was the one asking me the questions, I decided to hold it.

"Okay, fine, truth.. Hmm."

Felix seemed to delight in drawing out my torture. What kind of sick questions would he ask? C'mon… Get it over with…

"Do you like Master Caius?"

"…" I gapped at him. WTF? That was… "NO!" I exploded, _way_ too quickly, and _much_ too loudly. "I mean, gosh, no! He's a dick!"

I saw Jane and the rest of them bite back smiles as I insulted Caius so carelessly, but Felix didn't look convinced. "Okay, then I get to dare you!"

"Hey!" I protested. "I answered the question!"

Felix shrugged. "Yes but you lied. So unspoken rule is that I now get to dare you."

I spluttered around for a bit, before remembering that Santiago could tell when someone was or was not lying. Right. Stupid vampires and their stupid gifts. Now I couldn't even cheat at Truth or Dare.

"Fine! Give me your worst!" I scowled at him, then silently wishing I could take the words back instantly.

"Okay. I dare you to get Caius out of his room."

What? That didn't really sound like a dare, and Caius wasn't in his room. I'd been in there, and dusty bookcases and all, it was completely untouched, no one had been in there for weeks I could tell.

I had a feeling that Felix didn't mean it like a dare either.

"A dare's a dare." Quipped Jane. "Take it or leave it."

I knew what she meant. If I took it then at least I'd tried- even though I didn't even know where Caius was, but if I backed out of it I'd be branded a coward. It would be good-naturally, but I wasn't going to back down.

"Fine… I'll try find him. Why did you say he was in his room? I've been in there, and he's not in it."

Felix stared at me for a second, then started laughing.

Now I was more confused than ever. "Why are you laughing?"

Catching sight of my bemused expression, the rest of the vampires in my room started to laugh. Was there something I was missing?

"Nothing," gasped Corin eventually, "Just the dare stands until you can finish it." She said, picking up her glass and draining it before standing.

I was screwed.


	18. Chapter 18

**Yes, I know- it's been a thousand years since my last update, and I'm not going to bore you with all my useless excuses, or apologies, only to say that hopefully this will be the last huge break inbetween chapters... I cannot promise anything though- I do not control my own brain!**

**Well I hope this longer-than-usual chapter satisfys you for the time being... and the story will be moving along much faster now- lots of stuff will be happening in the next chapter, absolute cross my heart and hope to die promise!**

**-DOHAD**

* * *

Chapter Eighteen: Bella

I couldn't find Caius, _anywhere._ I didn't ask for help, because according to Felix if I did, I would be breaking the dare, although I didn't see how, I decided to play it by him for a while.

I had been searching for two weeks now.

Aro and Marcus didn't seem concerned at all, and it was infuriating me. Call me crazy, but I was missing Caius. He had a sarcastic wit that made me want to laugh and cry at the same time, and when he wasn't being a pissy vampire- which wasn't often- he was quite good company.

I still emailed Alice on a daily basis using the laptop Jane had bought me, and also kept in contact with Renee and Charlie, (Renee was still going on about hot Italian guys,) and all my other friends. Via email, amazingly enough Rosalie and I were getting rather close, it was the same with Jasper. There was a side to the both of them that I'd never known, and now that I'd found it, I was finally getting to know them properly.

Edward however….

For some reason it wasn't as easy to talk to him as it was to the others. I even found myself emailing Carlisle more than I emailed Edward. I couldn't find anything to write about to him, and even when I did, I didn't know how to put it. Edward didn't seem the kind of person who would be interested in all the fun stupid stuff I did every day with the Volturi Guard, he would be too _mature_ for that. Every time I sat down in front of the computer with his email on the screen, my mind came up blank.

I tried to think about modelling the emails on the conversations that we had face to face before, but once again- blank.

Come to think of it, I couldn't remember a single proper conversation we'd had about a proper subject. We only really talked for a few moments, then he'd either cut me off by distracting me, dazzling me, or just laughing at me.

I _had_ found it endearing, and at the moment I probably wouldn't have been capable of thinking otherwise, but right now… I wondered.

Things had never really been the same since he had left, and now I finally realized that my eyes had been opened.

I should have listened to Jacob. Harsh, but true. I was blinded by Edward's _perfectness_, and finally when he wasn't there did I only realized just how _different_ and incompatible people we were.

I hadn't realized it the first time we were… apart as I was too lost in my insane denial, trying to cling on to a ghost, but now… Now that I had a break from him, and was thinking clearly, I wondered… Would this be it? He said he would change me if I marie… married him- (deluded old-fashioned vampire)- and like an idiot I had sort of agreed… But…

There it was again with the _but._

The truth was, I didn't want to marry him. It wasn't just the fact that I was only eighteen- almost nineteen, but even then, subconsciously, my mind was telling me _no_!

When I was turned- all sparkly and just as beautiful as any other vampire, finally his equal- would I still love him? Or was it love in the first place, or just a childish infatuation?

I barely knew him! That was the truth.

I didn't know him. He'd been in my life for a year and around eight months, but

I shook my head violently. I didn't know how I felt. I didn't know how I _wanted_ to feel.

On top of it all, I was hearing things.

At night, I kept on hearing someone playing the piano, playing the piano _amazingly_. A thousand times better than Edward (Here we go again with the Edward bashing). Whoever was playing should give Edward piano lessons.

It was like the Phantom of the Opera, and at night all I could hear was the mysterious playing.

I wanted to ask someone about it… If the whole castle was filled with vampires with super-hearing, shouldn't they be hearing it too?

I'd asked around, but everyone just shrugged and avoided the subject. It was obvious they knew, whereas I was in the dark.

So I sat in my room and sulked.

I'd gone off FRIENDS, Aro had obsessed about it so much, I made me want to beg Jane to change me, just so that I could rip off his head to shut him up, but of course she said no. I'd listened to all my songs on my IPod so many times I could recite them all off by heart, and even YouTube didn't interest me anymore.

I could hang out with the guard, they were awesome, but it did seem a bit needy hanging out with them 24/7, and they did have other duties other than keep the human entertained.

I had just _way_ too much spare time on my hands.

Yeah. Right now, I actually missed Caius following me around like an overgrown silvery haired glowering bat.

I know. Lock me up in a mental asylum already.

Shaking my head violently so that the world spun, I got off my bed, and walked out of my room.

~~~(o.O)~~~

I spent what seemed like hours wandering around. I'd gotten better at remembering which paths I took, and my feet led me into a rather deserted area of the castle I hadn't been before. (Cliché I know) It was totally quiet, and it had the musty 'not-lived-in-smell'. Ironic seeing as they were the undead.

There weren't any rooms, or doors leading anywhere, just corridors, flat stone passages, occasionally a medieval style window too.

I just walked, not really worried about getting lost. The guard could find me easily no matter how lost I got even if Demetri couldn't track me.

The walls and floors just blurred together, until I wound up walking in a huge circle, and ended up in a rather familiar corridor. It was the same one that went past Aro's rooms, and out of curiosity, I began walking down it.

I saw a door with a _MV_ on it- Marcus Volturi, and then several other rooms without any initials on them.

I reached the end of the corridor, and slightly disappointed, turned back.

The door leading to the second-to-last room caught my eye. It was slightly ajar, and I could see a familiar shape inside.

Cautiously, I reached out and the door creaked open.

Sunlight shone through the windows that framed the room, highlighting the dust particles that spiralled down onto the grand piano that sat in the centre of the room.

It was beautiful.

Dark ebony wood and polished ivory keys stared out at me. I had been taking piano lessons back in Forks without telling Edward- I had wanted to learn how to make the piano that sat in his house make the beautiful sounds that he could on it, and so as I sat down on the stool before the piano, I let my fingers run lightly across the keys.

Each note was clear and distinct, and even though the piano was obviously ancient, maybe even hand-crafted by the looks of it, it was in tune, and waiting.

There were several pages of sheet music in front of me, and I didn't even think about why or how they were there, because as I studied the piece of music, I recognized it.

I scanned over the C minors, and the D majors, realizing that this was a four-hand piece, and realizing that the music I had heard at night was _this_ piece, only played by two hands.

I tried the first few notes, pleased when they sounded right, then played the next line. I played the second set, different from the first set, which was the music that I heard at night.

(To those who are confused- a four-hand piece, is when the music has been written so that two people need to play a different overlapping piece at the same time, but if you play the four-hand piece two handed, you basically just choose one 'set' to play. {To play one set, you just play every second line, or every first/third/fifth... ect, line.})

As I kept on playing, the notes flowed, my hands dancing across the keyboard, the ivory keys cool and familiar against my fingertips.

I closed my eyes and _felt_ the music. The notes fell like raindrops across glass, and the music swelled, reverberating throughout the room, weaving a spell in my mind, creating a whole new world. There was no Edward, Jacob was still just my friend, no crazy Physco red-haired vampire after me….

Just me, for a stolen moment, free.

The music built up, swelling triumphantly, deepening and my soul was singing, revelling in the music… All my worries just poured away, like water down the sink, and I let myself go.

I didn't need the sheet of music anymore, the notes seemed to pour from my own mind, and my fingers moved across the keys without conscious thought.

The music flowed so smoothly, the notes melding together like it wasn't just me playing…

My eyes snapped open, and as I saw who was sitting beside me, running his fingers fluidly over the keys, I screamed, and fell backwards off the stool, cracking my head on the stone floor.

Caius didn't even look up from the keys. He continued playing the haunting tune, his gaze fixed on them like trying to imprint the ivory blocks into his memory.

_Caius played the piano?_

"What… How? What… What, you… I… Is… Why are you here?"

Caius turned, fixing his red eyes on me. "This is my room."

I gawked. "Your…."

I quickly looked around, and I (very stupidly) noticed that it wasn't just an empty room with a piano. _Caius's room?_

But… his room was… I had been in his room…

The truth hit me, and I could have done an Aro- and slammed my head on the stone walls. **Of course** that dusty room several stories below couldn't have been his. I had thought it was a study when I first entered it, and that was exactly what it was. A flipping _study_.

That explained all the weird looks I had gotten… Aro and Caius exchanging weird looks when I talked about renovating Caius's room- the room I stood in now didn't have a single musty bookcase- the guard looking at each other strangely when I said that I'd been in his room… It all made sense.

Sort of.

Caius's real room was just as impressive as Aro's- apart from the golden doors and the giant AV (or CV in this case.) the theme was mainly blue and black with touches of purple, as opposed to the red and gold of Aro's room.

There was a rather extravagant (could those be diamonds?) chandelier hanging right above the piano, a pair of double doors which I assumed led to Caius's wardrobe… A huge black four poster bed in the corner, there was a huge window which stretched from one side of the room to the other, and a low window seat, big enough for two… There wasn't much stuff on the walls, except for one portrait…

It was like the full size one I had seen of the Volturi in Carlisle's study, but in this there were only two people.

It took me a moment to recognize Caius.

His ruby eyes stood out of the painting, sparkling and alive with joy, a gentle smile curving across his face. I followed his gaze, and saw the smaller, slighter woman with dark hair, several shades darker than mine with reddish-gold hints in it, with a necklace of what looked like a swallow around her neck, standing beside him, an arm slung across his neck, standing on tiptoe, a smile mirroring Caius's, her eyes fixed on his.

There was so much obvious love, affection and adoration in their gaze, I felt like I was intruding, just by looking at the portrait.

The music stopped, making me turn quickly.

I hadn't seen Caius in almost four months, and I had forgotten his absolutely petrifying glare which made me want to curl up in my bed, and yank the covers over my head.

Then he spoke. "That said, why _are_ you in my room girl?"

So it was back to 'girl'.

I began to speak, but my throat was so dry the words stuck in my throat, so I started again. "I was bored, so I went for a walk, and your door was open, so I saw the piano…"

Caius didn't look interested at all. His gaze drifted to the window.

I followed his gaze. He had an amazing view, his room was so high up, the small houses below looked little more than boxes.

I knew that now I should be taking up Felix's bet- get Caius out of the room- but it just seemed like the wrong time. Or maybe it wasn't just the wrong time. Maybe it was always the wrong time… Right now I didn't want to make things worse with Caius.

I wasn't stupid. Being here right now, I could put the pieces together. The woman in the picture was Athenadora, and Caius had loved her. If I had been Jessica, I would laughed at the thought of Caius _loving_ someone, but it all made sense.

Whatever had happened that night almost four months ago had clearly something to do with her.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, "I'll just… go."

His voice called me back, and it was so unexpected, I nearly flew out of my skin. "No, it's fine. Stay."

I stopped, stunned. Was it an order, or a request? Did he seriously want me to stay in his room? He didn't seem the type to just let anyone hang around in their room.

I turned slowly, and just stood there.

His cold eyes regarded me, and they were just so _different_ from the eyes in the painting, I shivered unconsciously.

When he spoke again, it wasn't what I thought he'd be asking. "You play the piano?"

I blinked at him like an owl. _No duh._ And then the words slipped out. "No duh. Of course I can't, because just before that wasn't really me playing- just a cyborg."

He didn't really react, and I couldn't remember whether or not it was normal for him. The last time we had properly spoken was when he was being all freakishly happy, and the time before that, he was yelling at me and calling me a useless pitiful human.

He just kept on staring at me, like he was trying to figure something out.

I was never one for long or awkward silences, so I decided to break it. "Um… That was an amazing piece of music… do you know who wrote it?"

"I did."

Oh.

OH! Come to think of it, I wasn't really surprised, not really. It was his room after all, and…. And after today, well, I couldn't exactly claim that I knew him.

"Wow. Um. Well, it's really good." His face remained blank. "I mean, really amazing… Uh, could you teach me?"

I cursed myself the second later, he'd probably throw me out…. But he didn't say anything. It was like talking to robot. No emotion, no nothing. Not even a flicker in the burning red eyes.

"Do… Do you need anything?" I asked the robot.

The robot said nothing.

It just occurred to me then, that Caius was a vampire.

I almost laughed out loud at my stupidity.

I had just spent too much time around the Cullens, who tried to live their stolen lives together, and around Aro, who acted like a hyper-maniac child, and Marcus, who sometimes I doubted to be vampire at all, and the guard, who were so _normal_ and yet supernatural at the same time- that I had started to think that they were still human. I had never really had any real experience with proper vampires, only James and Laurent, and those Romanian vampires, but each of them had very obviously tried to kill me….

And Caius was one of those.

He wasn't _tame_ like the Cullens, and he never _acted_ human either. He may have looked only three years older than me, but he had been walking the earth for two thousand years +, seen things I'd never imagined, and he most certainly wasn't _human_ of all things. He wasn't even close.

I should have run. I should have fainted… I should have done something embarrassingly feminine, but instead, somehow my limbs moved, and I ended up sitting uncomfortably close to the robot/vampire/Caius and beginning to play again.

Inside, I was screaming at myself. Did I really have _no_ self-preservation? Why was I even really here anyway?

Did I w_ant_ to die?

I just kept playing, wondering how my calm façade was folding up, when Caius's fingers joined mine.

For several of my heartbeats there was just the sound of the music overlapping and flowing like rivers over rocks as the notes melded together smoothly, but then I realized I was playing too fast, and when I tried to slow down, I lost the rhythm.

There was a sigh, and suddenly a pair of ice-cold hands were hovering over mine, playing the same notes for me. "You're playing the F major too fast, you need to positing your fingers- _here_, and let your wrist go-"

I think I might have fainted for a split second at the touch. "Um, yeah, um. Yeah. So. Thanks." I managed to stutter, and as usual, he ignored me. His hands were lightly touching mine, guiding them over the keys, and his chest was just millimetres behind my back. I froze automatically, eyes wide as he played the notes with unnatural gentleness.

He could probably hear my heart hammering in my chest, I didn't know whether or not it was from fear or surprise, but he let go of my hands and sat down again, playing the same scale at the same speed as me.

I got it wrong again.

~~~(o.O)~~~

An hour later, I was back in my room, trying to decide on whether or not to be stunned, or stunned, or stunned, or stunned, or….. stunned.

So I'd found Caius, and it seemed the better I got to know him, the more confusing it was for me to understand him. He was nothing like how I remembered- a completely different guy from the one I'd met around four months ago.

I leaned back in my chair, balancing it on two legs, staring at the black blank celling above me.

I'd spent a while in his room, awkwardly learning how to play the piano properly, I had to say, with all the harsh impatience and unnatural vampire-ness, he was an excellent teacher. I'd picked up a thousand more tips in half an hour than I had for six months with Piano lessons. It really helped to have a millennia old vampire teach you to play the piano.

I closed my eyes, arms wrapped around my knees as I thought. It seemed nowadays I thought a lot. Everything was moving way too fast- one of the down-sides to living with vampires- and it didn't seem like only a few months had passed. My whole perspective on the world had changed, even the _way_ I thought had changed.

The Volturi weren't soulless murders that Edward had made them to be, and they didn't kill for pleasure either, I could tell. They weren't sorry for what they did though, which did bother me a bit, and I couldn't bear to be within earshot of the throne room when the guard fed (once a fortnight) or even look them in the eyes when they were done, but… I'd started to think of them the way I did Charlie and Renee, the way I thought of the Cullens. Proper family.

Call me crazy, but I imagined they felt the same way. Sort of.

My eyes snapped open, adjusting to the light.

I had thought that someone had been in the room just a second ago….

There was no-one there.

I shook my head to clear it, mentally banging my head on a wall for hallucinating for the second time, and rested the chair back on its four legs.

Great. I was turning into a hermit recluse. I hadn't even spoken to Jane in at least four days, or the rest of the guard for a day or so. I didn't know where they were exactly, except for the fact that they weren't _here_, and hadn't seen fit to tell me where they were going.

I didn't have enough energy to talk to Aro, I didn't want to have long 'marriage talks' with Sulpica, (they were very awkward), I couldn't be bothered to go find Marcus, I had just seen Caius mere minutes ago and was still confused, and the human receptionist had been… involved in a fatal incident a week back and there hadn't been a replacement.

Therefore, I was stuck here.

My eyes rested on something hiding under the fabric of my long-suffering bag, which was peeking out from under the couch.

As famously quoted from Gru in 'Despicable Me'… **_Light bulb!_**

I grabbed the drawing kit, almost breaking the pencil in the process, and flopped down on my bed, lying flat on my stomach, my legs sticking out the other side of the bed.

I drew circles all over the first page of refill, weird smiley faces and x-d out Pac men. Mr Happy ended up strangling Mr Sleepy somewhere in the middle of the page, Rapunzel was running around the page with her hair on fire, and then a shark swam up the margin and ate a hedgehog.

I rolled my eyes, but couldn't bring myself to rip up Mr Happy or the shark, so I just flipped to the next page and pursed my lips. I couldn't really think of anything to draw.

Was this it? Was _everything_ I did doomed to boredom?

I slammed my eyes shut and forced the pencil to the page, just brain-crapping on the paper.

My eyes still firmly shut, I began tracing shapes and angles, not really knowing what I was drawing, but not daring to open my eyes to see.

After a few moments, the pencil seemed to meld itself to my hand, the shapes becoming easier, which was weird because, a. I basically was the worse artist ever, b. This wasn't a flat surface so the picture would probably wonky- not that I even knew what I was drawing, and c. Because my eyes were shut.

I didn't realize my eyes were open until I was shading in the empty spaces, and admiring the undoubtedly best sketch I'd ever drawn.

That was until I realized what exactly I had drawn.

It's just a coincidence…. _Just a coincidence…._ It doesn't mean anything. _It __**does**__**not**__ mean anything._

Of course that didn't help when my eyes were fixed on the no-longer blank piece of paper before me that held a rough, but detailed sketch of a particular vampire leaning over a particular human, teaching her how to play the piano, not looking at the keys, but at the human.


	19. Chapter 19

**READ CHAPTER 18! It is no longer an author's note! Okay, this was originally going to be one chapter, but I have split it into two parts, the second part which will be posted tomorrow hopefully, and I am afraid that if all goes as planned, it will be ending in a cliffhanger... Soz. Stuff is going to start to heat up in the chapters after this one, and I hope you will not be disapointed! Everything will be explained in time!**

**Disclaimer: Not mine.**

**P.S- But a friend of mine, who is almost my sister has recently had her parents split up, and I know it is kind of odd to put on this page, but please give her your prayers, she is going through a really hard time.**

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Chapter Nineteen: Bella

I didn't know what to expect, maybe for Caius to go back to his old scowly vampire reclusive, but as always, I was wrong. By now you'd have thought that I would have been done trying to make assumptions of Caius, but of course, again- wrong.

He was stalking me again.

I wanted to yell at him and jump up and down and scream like a kid- I mean why did I need a vampire bodyguard again? I'd been hanging out with the guard for months now, and none of them had ever taken a snap at me, nor had those 'Romanian' vampires shown head or tail in Voltera, so what was _with _him?

On the upside, with Caius out of his room- I had won the dare.

So again with Caius. He was being…. Not nice, but closer to nice than hostile. He didn't glare at me at least, and we did have stilted civil conversations every once in a while. Apart from that though, life went back to normal. Or at least as normal as it could get.

I had stopped emailing Edward. I didn't know any nice way to break up with him, and I thought it'd be better face to face. I couldn't stand looking at all his emails to me, filled with sappy lines, quoting 'Romeo and Juliet' and dripping with computerized love. Doubtless I would have swooned like one of those princesses being rescued by a prince…. But _newsflash!_ 21st Century! Sexism! I wasn't going to fall for him again.

So I was in town with the only person here that I could talk to about it. Jane.

Of course, she was all for me dumping Edward and leaving him in the dirt, although I did admit that was a bit harsh.

Finally in frustration, I flung my arms skyward, wanting to do something a lot more dramatic, but couldn't without attracting attention to ourselves. "You're no bloody help at all Jane!"

Jane shrugged. "Just find a new boyfriend, swallow his face in front of Cullen, and there- you've got the message across."

"Now that's _exactly_ what I mean! No bloody help at all! Besides, where would I get another boyfriend, even if I wanted one? -Which I don't for the record, I am _not_ going to end up in the same situation as before. I'm not some kind of girl who's desperate for a boyfriend Jane!"

Jane rolled her eyes like she already knew. "I _know_,"

Ooo. See? Predictable.

"-I mean just get a random guy and kiss him in front of Cullen, and then that makes it perfectly clear that you've moved on and there's no arguing about it."

What was with Jane and getting another guy and kissing him in front of Edward? Granted it was a good idea…. "What is it with you and kissing another guy in front of Edward? Granted it's a good idea, but what's with this other guy business?"

"It just sounds like fun, that's all."

I frowned at Jane. She was just so nice that sometimes I forgot just how sadistic she was.

"Well I'm not into inflicting pain on Edward Jane. It's not his fault I don't like him anymore- I've just re-prioritized my life."

Jane looked more than a little disappointed as we entered a restaurant/bar place.

On a totally unrelated topic, coffee in Italy was amazing, I thought, as I ordered a flat black. It was weird how coffee made from the same beans could taste so much better in another continent.

When the coffee arrived, I sighed and leaned back, sipping the bitter liquid. I didn't know when I'd started preferring the rough taste of the flat blacks rather than the sweet and silky texture of the Cappuccino's I used to love.

Jane just watched me, her perfect face screwed up slightly. "How _can_ you drink that?"

"How many times have you asked that Jane?"

Jane blinked and answered instantly. "One hundred and ninety seven times."

I smiled.

My leg nudged the seven or so shopping bags around my feet, and I sighed. Sometimes I couldn't even tell Jane and Alice apart, even though physically, Jane looked three years younger than Alice, and now four years younger than me.

I heard an identical soft sigh mirrored by Jane opposite me, and I frowned at her. "How's Felix?" I sprung.

Jane jerked, surprised, which was quite a feat to surprise a vampire.

When she had composed herself, she cleared her throat pointlessly, and began… "Good." …with one word.

I waited for a second, thinking she would elaborate, but when she didn't, I eyed her cautiously. "What do you mean- _good?_"

"Well what do you want to hear Bella? He's good! We're good! I'm good!" she gabbled. (Did vampires gabble?)

_Yeah right._ "Jane, I'm not an idiot. You were just giving me guy advice… admittedly stupid guy advice, but still, it's my turn to give you the same honour now then. Now spill."

Jane fiddled with the salt shaker from the table, and I could see the glass beginning to crack underneath her fingers. "Well… You know we're going out right?"

I rolled my eyes at her. Who didn't? "…and?"

I could practically hear the glass splintering, but I figured it wouldn't be the best time to tell Jane.

"Stuff is going good… It's been almost a month… Just he's been really distant lately. We haven't had any assignments from Aro the past few days, but Felix's avoiding me! He spends all his time with Demetri now, or Aro… And I don't know what's going on!"

Felix was avoiding Jane?

That was crazy. That was downright effing crazy. They were perfect for each other! Ever since they had begun dating, I remembered all the sly glances at each other, the times when I caught both of them openly staring at each other, and how Felix was always so _different_ around Jane. More… gentlemanly? In any case, even a four-year-old would have been able to tell they were meant to be, even as sappy as that sounded.

It didn't even matter that Felix looked at least five years older than Jane (technically speaking, Jane was two hundred years older than him), they were just so… They were like two pieces of a puzzle that fit together magically.

I didn't know what to say. "Jane… You two are perfect for each other… It has to be a misunderstanding!"

Jane just nodded helplessly. "Sure. That's what I kept on telling myself for the first few days. But he will barely talk to me now!"

"Have you talked to Aro? Demetri?"

Jane shook her head. "They avoid me too… and when I ask Marcus, he ignores me… and everyone else… they know nothing, and if they did, they aren't telling me! I am _so_ close to torturing them all into telling me what is going on!"

Jane was pouting, but trying to glare at the same time, so it was hard for me to take her seriously. "I don't think Aro would like that much. Or Caius for that matter!" I laughed.

I wasn't expecting her reaction.

Jane sat bolt upright as though electrified, snapping her fingers, momentarily forgetting about her own problems. "Caius!"

I frowned at her, "What about Caius?"

Jane blinked at me, studying my face with uncomfortable intensity. "You mean… You still haven't… Doesn't matter." She leaned back into her chair, brow knitted.

There was silence for a moment, and I tried to figure out her words. I still hadn't what?

Whatever.

"Speaking of Caius, can you tell Aro to tell him to lay off me? I mean, I survived months without him following me everywhere like he did before… and now Aro's ordered him to start again!"

Jane looked at me. Confusion evident in her eyes, which were a murky brown from the contacts she was wearing. "But… Aro hasn't ordered Caius to protect you… Whatever Caius is doing… He's doing it of his own free will."

"Am I interrupting?"

The salt shaker shattered, the salt spilling onto Jane's lap, and the glass shards tinkling as they hit the floor.

My empty coffee cup slipped from my fingers and dropped to the table, smashing as it hit the surface of the table, instantly attracting the attention of everyone in the restaurant.

I weakly waved them away, apologizing and trying to sweep up the shards of porcelain, before a waitress did it for me, shooting me an accusing glare before skirting around the vampire lord who hovered near our table.

Caius slid in smoothly into the seat beside mine, not dressed in his usual black 'I-am-a-very-important-vampire-so-bow-down-before- me' robes, but in faded black jeans, a button up dark blue shirt, and his hair was tied up in a low ponytail.

I gawked.

Absentmindedly, I wondered whether or not I had dropped the cup because of what Jane had said, or because of the way he was looking right now. He looked…. Hot.

I mean really hot.

I mean, hot as in I-am-about-to-faint hot. And I usually did not think like that.

"Uhnnn?" Was the first word that escaped my lips, before I blushed straight from my neck to the roots of my hair, turning a bright red.

I turned an ever brighter shade of red if possible, when Caius glanced at me, his eyes purple behind blue contacts, and arched an elegant eyebrow. "Yes?"

"Uhnargh… Hmmm. Um. Ahem!" I cleared my throat violently. "Um. Nothing. Just… a surprise… Yeah. A surprise. I was surprised. Yes. Mmm… Why are you here?"

"It is not by my will," said Caius, and unbidden, I wondered whether that was the truth.

No! Stop it! Caius does _not_ like you, you most certainly do _not_ like Caius… Stop entertaining the idea that you might… That you might…

"-I was _sent_ as no one else was available, to retrieve Jane, and you _Isabella_, as Aro requests your presence Jane."

Caius's eyes flickered to Jane, and I thought I saw something… Jealousy? No. Impossible. It was gone in a second, and I must have imagined it.

"So if you two are quite done in making a scene here, I suggest we leave now and-"

Both vampire's heads snapped up, and straight across the room, to the counter.

My eyes were slower, but as they met their target, I saw a lone vampire leaning causally against the counter, staring straight at us, no contacts, just brilliant red eyes.

_Shit._

It was a he, and he was the vampire who Caius had called Stefan, the vampire who had tried to kill me. Irrationally, I thought- _Who doesn't want to kill me nowadays?_ Then I shoved the useless thought aside.

Stefan's lips curled upwards in a mocking smile, and I saw his lips move, although I couldn't pick up the words.

I could see the reaction though.

Caius's face grew hard and cold, his teeth meeting with a snap, while Jane hissed inaudibly.

I was about to ask, before Caius answered me. "He is not alone. There are four more vampires in the room. He says that we leave now, however if we do, we will be surrounded. If we do not comply, he will reveal his identity to everyone in the room, most likely in a killing spree. If we attack him, the result will be the same- our kind will be revealed…"

My mind registered the words, and even as horrified as I was, I realized it was a brilliant plan.

The purpose of the Volturi was to ensure no humans knew about us, (me being the exception as of now,) and we had no options left. If we left the room like the vampire was asking, we would be ambushed, and although Caius and Jane could fight, I might not survive, and who they were would be revealed. If they didn't leave, then Stefan would begin killing people, again revealing vampires existence, and if we fought right now, the result would be the same.

There was no way out.

Caius swore filthily, surprising me with his extensive knowledge of them, but as I saw the smug smile on Stefan's face, I wanted to torture him till he screamed too.

Speaking of which….

"Jane," I stage whispered, knowing the vampire could hear me anyway. "Can you…"

Jane glared at Stefan, her eyes hidden behind the contacts, still burning with rage. "I can't!" she hissed at me. "Something is blocking him, and nothing is happening, just like when I try to use my gift on you!"

My eyes widened. Did he have that power? Or was it someone else with that power nearby helping him?

I glared at him too as his smile grew wider.

With a hand, he motioned to the door, the small movement obvious, even across the whole room.

Time seemed to stand still as Jane and Caius continued to alternate between exchanging looks, and glaring at the vampire. I could see the gears in their minds whirling at a hundred thousand miles per hour, but obviously nothing was happening.

Finally, Caius seemed to come to a conclusion. "Fine." He said, in a voice so low I could barely hear it. "We take out the lights, and then attack. It will be contained."

"What?" I broke in, trying to speak as loudly as I dared, while keeping my voice low enough so the vampire on the other side of the room wouldn't hear. "You mean you turn off the lights so no-one outside will see, and then kill everyone else in the room after you've done with the vampires so you have no witnesses? Pass it off as what? An explosion of a gas pipe later on?"

Caius glared at me. "What would you have me do? Regardless of what you may believe, the Volturi do not kill for pleasure, but this is to maintain our secret, and this is in the hopes that by the end we may all walk out of this ridiculous restaurant with all our limbs hopefully attached, and end this here and now!"

Caius's humour was lost on me, and he was already hissing instructions to Jane.

My eyes flickered around furiously, there had to be a way out of this… This would be a massacre one way or another… How could we…

My eyes swept past Jane, who was looking both determined and regretful at the same time, and then I saw my goal.

I stood, ignoring Caius, and took two steps to the left and picked up a plate of half-eaten food from the empty table beside ours.

My heart was pounding in my ears, and I think my breathing sped up ten-fold. I didn't know whether this restaurant was one of those crazy kinds that I saw in movies, but this was my only hope…. and as I threw the plate of food with all the strength in my body, and sending a heartfelt prayer to above that I would not miss- I shouted two words.

"_Alimento combattere_!"

~~~(o.O)~~~

For a second, the world stood still, and it was like every eye in the room was fixed on the plate of food that sailed across the room….

…and smashed on the face of a vampire.

It was dead silent.

…And then suddenly the room erupted into chaos as every human in the room (except me) leapt up, and began flinging food at each other, until the entire room erupted into an insane crowd of flying food and broken glass.

I didn't have time to survey my good luck and excellent outcome of my plan, I seized Caius's and Jane's wrists, and hauled the out of the restaurant, as they were both shell-shocked, and I needed them for phase two of my brilliant but impromptu plan.

"We've got to go. I'm guessing that we were the target, so they will be following us, and so they won't have time to reveal themselves… Once we get back to the castle, they won't follow, and if you send out Alec and the other guards then the Romanians- that's what you call them right? -will have to run and leave. "

The words slipped and blurred together from the speed of my talking, but both vampires before me understood, and before I knew it, we were on the rooftops, and flying across the tops of the flat Italian houses to Volturi Castle, praying that no-one saw us.

* * *

**Alimento combattere: Food fight!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Just thought I'd have a view on how Caius see's Bella, and some brotherly interaction between Caius and Aro before I dive into the deep stuff, which is at the very end of this chapter... Promise me that when you get there- DO NOT KILL ME! I will say no more.**

**Enjoy! (Didn't I say I would post today? I always try to keep my promises, even if it means updating at 10:49pm which is what time it is now)**

* * *

Chapter Twenty: Caius

It was an interesting strategy.

That was the word. Interesting.

I was not going to admit I was impressed.

Yes it was effective and rash enough to escape suspicion from the local passer-by's, but it was unorthodox and risky.

So yes. I was impressed.

Jane was carrying Isabella as we ran towards the castle, a rather odd sight, seeing as Jane was physically three years younger than Isabella, and much smaller.

Now was not the time to be amused.

Of course though, the girl's plan would not have worked if the Romanians had thought out their plan of attack in more detail. The majority of their forces were inside the room, meaning that if we escaped outside without them- which we did, we would have a head start and find it easier to escape. It was a well-thought out plan though, and brilliant had it not been for Isabella.

True, if she had not acted there would have been a massacre, and the resulting mess would have been very hard to cover up, and a yelling at from Aro which I would have to endure. However Jane and I would have been able to survive… Although Jane wouldn't have. The fight would have undoubtedly been fatal for Isabella, and the guard had grown quite attached…

For lack of a better phrase, that was bad.

For centuries now, the Volturi had not had a single weak point, from the outside we were indivisible, unconquerable and all-powerful, but now it was known that we harboured a _human_, and that thereon would be out weakness.

A slightly hysterical laugh directed my attention to Isabella, who was laughing with Jane. "Did you know that I forgot my bags?" she laughed, her brows knitting together slightly.

Jane laughed too, albeit nervously. "Trust you to think of something like that!"

There was another laugh. "Well what else am I going to focus on? The fact that I just started a food fight in an Italian restaurant by throwing a plate of food at a vampire- and believe me I am still trying to get over the shock of actually managing to hit him, I was afraid I would miss, or that he'd use vampire speed and duck out of the way… But I probably took him by surprise." She laughed again, a definite note of hysteria in her voice.

A half-smile crept across my face, only to be shoved away forcefully. There was something about the girl… Questions about her that I needed to be answered, and yet at the same time… I did not want to be answered. Since when was I afrai-…

No.

Since when was I so _cautious_ of situations like this?

I had not felt this way… Not felt this _anxiety_ and lack of knowledge and security since… Since…

Since Athena.

It was not that Isabella reminded me of her… Nor that when I saw her I forgot Athena –perish the thought- it was that when I saw her… Was with her… It was easier.

It was not the same reaction that I had whenever I encountered the foul mangy beasts the werewolves where all my hate and restricted emotions rose to the surface…

It was like the walls I had put in place were simply not there anymore, and I could think of Athena without either feeling hate so intense it swept me away on a wave of fury, making me want to destroy anything living, and lash out on everything possible, or such despair it felt as though I was drowning on unneeded air.

Perhaps it was more than just what-

"Master Caius!"

I was rudely jerked out of my thoughts as Jane gestured at the tunnel entrance to the centre of Voltera.

Against my will, even with the ever increasing attacks from the Romanians, my lips twitched as I recalled why Aro had sent me after Jane and Isabella.

It would be interesting to see how Jane would react.

~~~(o.O)~~~

As always, the guard came back with no news.

Demetri tracked their scent as far as he could before it disappeared into the Mediterranean and as his gift could not trace them, they were effectively blind. (AN- does Caius sound too 'Secret Services?')

Aro had set up guard members around the entire city as an extra precaution, and thankfully the situation in the restaurant from before escaped suspicion.

"Are you going to ask him or not?"

I had not realized that Aro had been grasping my wrist, and I glared at him. "Mind your own business," I snarled. "-and what are you talking about?"

"Marcus." Aro sighed, even though he was perfectly aware that I knew what he was talking about. "Are you ever going to ask him what has been plaguing your mind since three months ago?"

"I… I do not know of what you speak of."

Aro shook his head. "Caius, I know you are lying."

I angrily wrenched my arm out of his grasp, "Even if I was, it is none of your concern."

"Brother, it is my concern, you cannot keep wallowing in a lake of your own memories, give Bella a chance. I know you have been softening to her Caius, I have seen how she sometimes looks at you…"

I clenched my teeth. I did not know which was more irritating- when Aro was being childish, or when he decided to begin attempting to be understanding. And then there was the blasted flare of _hope_ that ran through me when Aro had said the last sentence… I found my voice, but it was robotic and frigid. "There is no chance to give. I have told you- there is nothing there to be of your concern."

"Then why do you not ask Marcus?" insisted Aro, grabbing my shoulder as I turned away from him.

"Because! _Because_ I am afraid! You know it as well as I do myself!"

Aro fell silent, and I shook his hand from my shoulder, pacing to the window in his room. I would never have admitted it… Never…

"Afraid of what exactly?" Aro's voice was soft, so damned _empathetic_… I cursed the fact that even though I was older than him, he was technically three years my senior, whereas sometimes I looked barely out of adolescence.

"You know what I am afraid of! And if you do not wish to add more insult to injury then do _not_ make me say the words, and say them yourself if you know me so well!"

Aro sighed and sat fluidly in a nearby chair. A pointless motion, but a habit over the millennia. "You are afraid that you love her."

Of all the possible things he could have said- it was the worst. Even if he had said I was afraid of rejection- as pathetic as the words sounded- it would have been nothing compared to what he said now. And what was even worse, was that it was true.

_When?_ When did it all dissolve from justified hate into something that was so unfamiliar, yet so familiar at the same time? Four months… Four months and already all of this was unravelling…

"-you are afraid that you are betraying Athenadora, that by allowing yourself to give Bella a chance you are forgetting her… You are afraid you are giving up everything you have fought for the past few centuries, and you think that you have no _right_ to ever have anything that you had with Athena with anyone else. You love Athena so much, enough that she will never leave you, but so much that if you even try to begin a relationship with Bella you think that she will be a replacement and you will never accep-"

"SHUT UP!" I roared, grabbing Aro by the throat, hauling him from the chair he sat in, and shoving him backwards, the foot thick stone wall crumbling like dust around us, sending the two of us falling to the floor in the next room, my _brother_ pinned beneath me.

"-and you are afraid that above all that you _do_ love her regardless of everything I have just said, even if you believe you have no right to be. And you are afraid that you will love her enough to actually pursue your emotions and afraid that if you do-"

"**_SHUT UP_**!"

I slammed him down harder, seeing cracks form around his neck beneath my fingers as I tightened my grip. "She has _Cullen_, and even if all you said was _true_ it would be pointless to pursue the idea-"

"So you admit that it is true-"

There was the sound of stone cracking as I dug my fingers deeper into his throat. "I admit _nothing,_ only to point out that what you say is useless as she is _happy_ right now, and it is _better_ for the both of us if when she leaves, she leaves just as ignorant of the situation as she is now!"

"Then it may interest you to know that she is no longer with Edward Cullen."

My momentary lapse of concentration allowed Aro to shove me backwards, as he quickly stood, smoothing out his robes, the cracks in his skin already healing.

"You- what?"

"Ask Marcus yourself." Aro gestured to the side.

I had forgotten that the room beside Aro's was Marcus's, and that we were now standing in the ruined half of Marcus's room, in which Marcus was seated on a chair on the other side of the room, observing us with his customary bored expression.

"What?" I hissed. I was in no mood for games, and already I was longing to be _gone_ from their presence. "I imagine you heard everything."

Marcus inclined his head, his red eyes flickering, betraying the fact that beneath his mask he was actually interested in the happenings around him. "About Bella and the Cullen then? Well what Aro says is true, she long abandoned any feelings for the boy around three weeks after her arrival here, but she only consciously realized a week ago. Perhaps a day before you decided to leave your room Caius."

I took a deep unneeded breath, trying to bury my wretched _pride_- pride that along with the sorrow, tied me up just as much as the grief had, and addressed Marcus, if not Aro, who knew all my thoughts, Marcus would be the one person to understand moderately my situation. "And my… _feelings_ of Isabella?"

But then fate had never favoured me, and nor did it now.

"-and why do you call her _Isa_bella?"

It was such a trivial question, and yet it seemed of particular importance to Marcus, as he leaned forward in his chair, his uncaring mask replaced with one of uncommon intensity.

I shook my head, although against my will, my lips curved upwards slightly. "It.. it has always annoyed her to no end."

Marcus sighed, an almost wistful look crossing his face. "And therein is your answer."

~~~(o.O)~~~

**_Bella_**

"OH MY GOD!" I squealed, amazingly girlishly as I hugged Jane, bouncing up and down on the heels of my feet.

"I know!"

Jane's hair had come out of its customary neat do, and was hanging in ragged strands all over her face, but she was beaming with joy. Her diamond sapphire ring from the 16th Century sparkling on her hand.

"Oh my God!" It was like I couldn't stop saying those three words over and over again.

"I know!"

Yeah. It wasn't just me.

I didn't know whether to feel ecstatically happy for Jane, incredulous because it was only five minutes ago that we had just run away from other crazy vampire Romanians and she had totally forgotten about them, or just plain dumbstruck that Jane was now engaged to Felix, who she'd only been dating for around three weeks.

Vampires really must measure time differently.

"So when's the wedding?" I asked, finally managing to say something other than the previous three words.

"Maybe in a few decades or something… It'll take a while to plan! Will you help me?"

_Decades?_

"Um. Sure… Yeah…" Did vampires have constant access to Father Time or what? "Um… But about before… Did Aro send anyone out after those vampires at the restaurant?"

Jane stopped dead, her ruby eyes widening. "Oh _shit!_" she swore, shocking me, as I'd never really heard her swear before. "-I hope Master Caius has done that- because I completely forgot!"

…

Typical Jane.

In any case, I didn't think I had ever seen Jane look so happy ever before. Her brilliant red eyes were shining like a blood-red sun, and her smile could have parted clouds. She _radiated _happiness, and I couldn't even judge them for their weird timing.

I didn't know all the details, only that according to Jane, it was perfect.

Yeah, that was all I could get out of her- that it was perfect. She wouldn't tell me _how_ exactly he proposed, or _where_ he did it, only that is was, and I quote- '_the most romantic and perfect thing ever!_'

It didn't even seem weird for me that my seemingly 15yr old best friend was getting married in 'several decades'.

It explained a lot of things though, Felix's previous distance, spending more and more time with Demetri and Aro…

Caius had undoubtedly been sent out to fetch Jane earlier this evening so that she could meet Felix, something I doubted he'd been happy with, and when we had gotten back- I didn't even have time to wonder whether or not Aro had sent out the guard to catch the rouge vampires, Felix had grabbed Jane's arm and practically dragged her away.

An hour later, she had come back beaming and almost literally walking on air.

~~~(o.O)~~~

Cliché as it sounded, the Volturi gardens were beautiful at night. The warm Italian air was cooler now, and as I concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other on the rough (but somehow fitting) rock hewn path, I couldn't help but feel empty.

I _knew_ I was only eighteen- or nineteen in a few days actually- and I wasn't the type to go running after boys and be desperate to be in a relationship, as I had told Jane… Just, she was getting married now, I had heard news that Jessica was engaged too- to Mike Newton no less, almost everyone I knew in a steady relationship… And even though I was technically still with Edward… I had no-one.

Yup. Loner.

The moon sat up in the sky, glowing, surrounded by all the stars.

Like me.

The moon was surrounded by the stars, part of the picture, but at the same time, so separate, so alone. In the night sky there was only one moon, and that one moon stood by itself.

A light tread sounded beside me, but I didn't look up.

It was a perk of living among vampires- you got used to people sneaking up on you.

It was Caius.

"Hi." I muttered.

"Hello." Was the smooth reply.

Momentarily silenced, I kept on walking, gaze fixed on the sky.

"When's your birthday?" I blurted out, then wishing I could sew up my lips.

To my surprise, he actually answered. "The day I was born?" he paused for a moment. "We did not document time as we do now, but I would assume my birth was around the ending of December… Perhaps the 30th? Or the 31st?"

A small smile crept up on my lips. Somehow the date seemed fitting. The end of the year, yet so close to the beginning of another. "Cool."

"And yours?"

I was mildly surprised at his continuing the conversation. "Sept 13th."

"That is in four days."

I was startled he knew that, but then he must keep track of the date. "Yeah. It is."

"Do you want a gift?"

"NO!"

The word came out much louder and harsher than I meant it to, perhaps because of the shock of the question, or maybe because just then I tripped, and manners kind of went out the window.

Caius automatically caught me, and I froze as for a split second his stone arms were around my chest, before he released me. "Are you that against receiving gifts?"

A smile was curving across his face, even though it was obvious to me that he was trying to hide it.

He looked so… so handsome when he smiled… The hard aristocratic features of his face, which rather fittingly belonged on a roman statue, morphed into a welcoming smile…

A warm fuzziness rose up in me, filling me up from my toes to the tips of my fingers. I couldn't help the responding smile to stretch across my own face. "Not really. And why are you smiling?"

He met my eyes full on, and I swore I melted right then and there. "Give me a reason not to."

And maybe it was because he had asked me to, or maybe because I had lost control of my body for those few seconds, but before I knew it, I had shoved Caius into the pond that we were walking by.

~~~(o.O)~~~

Not universally my best idea.

Had I eaten something weird this morning? Extra caffeine in my coffee? Drugs in my scrambled eggs?

First I start a food fight to detain a couple of vampires, and now here I am shoving Caius into a pond.

And laughing.

Yeah. I was laughing.

Caius surfaced, a lilypad flopped right on top of his silver head as he glared at me with mock hatred? Mischievousness? I couldn't tell.

An ice cold hand wrapped itself around my ankle, and yanked me in.

I was too shocked to scream, or squeal, or even yelp as I fell for an eternity, and then hit the water and went under.

It was_ cold._

Well okay, not _co_ld, _cold_, but in comparison to before- it was very cold.

I surfaced, spluttering and trailing algae and pond weed, weakly flapping at Caius, splashing water in his face.

His expression was too much.

The lilypad had slipped sideways, so that it was now hanging over one ear, and his damp hair gave him a bedraggled look, like a dog that had just been dunked in a bucket of water. I supposed I didn't look much better, but that didn't stop me from almost choking as I went hysterical.

A blast of cold water in the face jerked me back to my senses.

I gapped at Caius, who was smirking. "You. Did. _Not._"

He shrugged. "I did."

"You might be wanting to reconsider your words."

"Give me a reason to."

A challenge then?

Bring it on.

With a yell I leapt at him, splashing water in his face and trying to drag him under, forgetting of course, that he was a vampire.

He was behind me before I knew what was going on, and suddenly my legs disappeared from under me, and I lost my balance, swallowing what must have been half the pond in the process.

It didn't even occur to me that this was _Caius,_ not Felix or Demetri who I could go crazy with, only that right now was _fun_ and right now was _crazy,_ and I wanted to keep it that way.

Half an hour later, we clambered out of the pond, me soaked wet and shivering, and Caius just as bad, minus the shivering part.

He was laughing along with me as we walked human speed back to the castle, and I didn't think for a second about how odd this all was- Caius's odd personality change…

This seemed so natural. Like second nature.

I entered the throne room, wanting to pass through to my room and get a much-needed shower, and came face to face with Aro.

He was beaming at the both of us, like there was a secret message being communicated between Caius and him, while I was left in the dark. "Hello! Have fun?"

I didn't ask how he knew- it was kind of obvious, but I nodded anyway. "Yeah. Just… Going for a shower…"

I skirted around him, but stopped when he held out something with a familiar emblem on the front.

"This just came a few minutes ago… I assume it is not the usual way you communicate with the Cullens is it not? I did not open it yet though."

It was an envelope.

Confused, I took it, hastily drying my hands unsuccessfully on my dripping pants, and broke the wax seal with the Cullen's coat of arms on it.

Time slowed down, as I saw what was inside. My eyes were widening with horror, the words from those around me slurred and muted…

The pieces of paper fell from my hands, as I saw what was on them.

My heart had stopped, yet it was pounding away in my ears, so loud I thought I would go deaf from the sound, or lack of sound, of it.

This was wrong…. A sick joke….

I was shaking my head, trying to deny what I could see right before me…

They were fake… They had to be fake…

…fake….

Thirty or so colour photographs spilled from my hands, scattering across the marble floor.

Hands were reaching out, steadying me, but all I could see was the pictures… So many of them…

It wasn't right… It wasn't right… Just minutes ago…. Just seconds ago…

The blackness was creeping in at the edges of my vision….

There were so many… So many photos, but my eyes only had room for one.

A picture of the woods, mismatched body parts scattered across the clearing, odd oval shapes visible through the grass.

The Cullen's decapitated heads.

The images burned into my mind, even as the blackness covered my vision, I could still see the two words, printed in block capitals were scrawled across the page.

**_"Your fault."_**

~~~(o.O)~~~

* * *

**AN- Yeah. I know.**


	21. Chapter 21

**PLEASE READ THIS!**

**-1st point- I suppose this chapter could be rated M because I am paranoid, as it has mentions of depression, and excessive use of the F*** worfd... Nothing too serious though (I am only 14 yrs old) But I don't want to be sued, so you are warned.**

**-2nd point- I am flattered that I have brought about such strong emotions in you guys by the results of yesterday's chapter, but don't worry, stuff will sort itself out, in ways I really hope you won't expect. Note- Were there any mentions of the Cullen's being burned? No? Hmmmmmmm...**

**-3rd point- As before, do not kill me when you reach the end of this chapter, if you do, this story will never be resolved o.O...**

**-4th point- This is my 3rd update in a row now! Amazing what happens when I am inspired!**

**-5th point- Thank you for the reviews and PM's, they have really helped me along with the details!**

**-6th point- I have a lot of 'points' don't I? In any case, DISCLAIMER: NOT MINE however much I wish it was!**

**...and yeah. Might as well let you get to the reading huh? Yours in the hopes you will not kill me, **

**-daughterofhadesandnyx.**

* * *

**~~~(o.O)~~~**

Chapter Twenty One: Bella

Charlie and Sue, their bodies bent and twisted in ways unimaginable, their throats torn out, eyes glazed and unseeing.

Jessica, Angela, Ben, Mike, Lauren, Eric...

Charlie's house, torn apart and burned.

Renee and Phil, they had come down from Florida a week ago, to visit Charlie and Sue for their engagement party- staked straight through the chest with a lamppost, like some kind of sick joke.

Billy Black, wheelchair crushed under an overturned car, the man himself torn in two, the blood drained from his body.

The Cullens, various close up shots of their faces, golden eyes open, no life or spark behind the dull topaz irises.

Emmett. Kind, sweet teddy-bear Emmett, who was always so tough and so strong, but so kind and gentle when it came to Rosalie. Snapped in two, his head torn from his shoulders and thrown across the baseball clearing.

Rosalie. Sarcastic, biting bitchy Rosalie, who I had never really to know better, and realizing that there was a side to her that I had never noticed, a side where she was supportive, thoughtful and great at giving advice… Arms mangled and twisted, her golden head wrenched away from the torso.

Esme. Loving, understanding, motherly Esme, who had been the mother to me that Renee had always tried to be, even from a distance. Esme had always made me feel welcome with the Cullens, always put me at ease and made me feel less awkward about being human. Beautiful hair matted and torn out, head lying meters from the rest of her distorted body.

Jasper. Fierce, silent dangerous Jasper, who had always remained at a distance, yet somehow always been part of my life. So obviously affectionate to little Alice, and always so thoughtful towards me. I knew how he had fought in the newborn wars, -the god of War, Caius had called him, but even he was gone. His jaw had been ripped from his face, and his granite body twisted and crushed.

Carlisle. Humane ever forgiving Carlisle. The one who had built the Cullens into who they were, the indivisible vampire family, who had survived for decades together. The one who introduced a new life for all of them, a life where they could live in peace. In a way he was like Jacob. Always stitching me up after the almost-car-crash, after the James incident, after my disaster of a birthday party… Never losing patience… Golden waves of hair dull and lank, the sunlight no longer glittering on his skin as every single body part of his was torn off and cast away.

Alice. Dear little Alice, so bright and energetic, always pulling me here and there, insisting we play 'Bella Barbie' and cheating at Chess, screaming over what clothes I was wearing… Always so constant and cheerful, the light of the Cullens… Her tiny petit body shredded like it had gone through a meat grinder, and her eyes… Always so bubbly and full of life… Empty.

Edward. Edward who I no longer loved, who I had never really loved, but still cared for like a brother. Edward who played the piano and hummed me to sleep at night, who rescued me from James, and who I had hoped would understand when I told him I did not love him any longer… Unrecognizable.

…and then Victoria.

Standing as a flame haired beauty, her face disfigured with a smile of such insanity, it put Aro's to shame, she stood triumphantly in front of a pyramid of bodies… Charlie, Sue, Renee, Phil, Angela, Ben, Mike, Jessica, Eric, Lauren, Billy, Jasmine from the Coffee place, Erin- Charlie's right-hand-man, and so many others, all mangled and covered in blood, like a demented child's blocks all piled on top of each other. All of them, piled right outside the town of Forks, or what was the town of Forks.

All that remained was an ash strewn clearing, broken and burnt buildings sticking out of the rubble, razed to the ground. But they bodies still held my attention. All of them, their eyes open, staring accusingly straight at me.

**_Your fault._**

It was true.

It was my fault.

All of it… The newborn army… Victoria… If I had never been _born_, if I had never met Edward… If I had never been there in that baseball clearing the day James arrived, he would never have been killed, Victoria would never have been out for revenge, she would never have attacked the Cullens, never attacked my parents, never attacked my family, killed my friends, and burnt down and destroyed my hometown utterly.

If I had never been born, none of this would have happened… If James had just killed me right then and there in the clearing, everything would have been fine, everyone could have lived out their lives- or in the Cullen's case- eternity- in peace… No me. No danger. No death at the hands of maniacs…

**_Your fault._**

~~~(o.O)~~~

When the blackness had come, I had welcomed it. I had embraced it with open arms, trying to escape the horror of reality, hoping that it was some insane joke, some horrible fantasy projected straight into my brain… But ignorance was a gift that had been taken from me.

All of the eyes. The empty unseeing _dead_ eyes, all looking straight at me.. All accusing me… Your fault.

Then reality was clawing back at me, and I didn't know whether reality was much better than the black.

My eyes opened, seeing nothing by the concerned faces of Aro, Marcus, Caius, Jane, Felix, Demetri, Corin, Alec, Santiago, Heidi, Sculpia…

I was in bed, and everything seemed so peaceful… Was it all a dream? Were the horrors of before just my imagination? Was everything alright-

"_…investigators are stunned at the attack on the small town of Forks in Washington DC, at what seems to have been a terrorist bombing. The entire town has been levelled, and there are no mentioned survivors, the police and national guard are stumped by what appears to be an unexplained pyramid of bodies just a few meters outside of the main road leading into what used to be Forks. There are several graphic images which will not be displayed due to-_"

I did not realized I was sitting, staring at my television, which was on, the reporter emotionlessly sitting behind a clear glass desk, listing off all the names of the confirmed dead…

…so it was true- and now the shock set in, the numbing realisation that there was no more Forks, no more Charlie, no more Renee, no more Angela, no more of anything I had ever known… Just… Nothing.

Emptiness.

I couldn't feel the pain, although I knew it was there, I couldn't feel the sadness, although I could sense it looming over me, like a wave about to crash down on me, I couldn't feel the anger, although it boiled up inside me… I couldn't feel anything…

Forks had been home, a home I didn't realize I could have there, a home where vampires and werewolves existed, a place where I'd discovered who I really was, and a place that no longer existed.

Gone.

And then I was aware of all the people around me, and all the _sympathy_ radiating out at me from all around me, and all the _pity_, and every one of them all so damn _understanding_, and I wanted them to get out, to get out, to just get _out,_ and to leave me alone, and stop being so…. So….

_Get out… Get out… Get out… Get out… Get out… Get out… Get out… Get out… Get out…_

And the TV kept on spouting names, names which no longer held any meaning, because they no longer existed, never again would talk, never again would laugh, never again would _live_ all because of _me…_

_Get out… Get out… Get out… Get out… Get out… Get out… Get out… Get out… Get out…_

And no one was turning it off, only talking to me, saying words I couldn't hear- didn't _want _to hear… They were trying to comfort me… Not understanding that I didn't want this- that I didn't deserve this… That the only thing I deserved to be was dead… Dead a hundred times, a thousand times because of what I did…

_Get out… Get out… Get out… Get out… Get out… Get out… Get out… Get out… Get out…_

And that it was my fault… My fault.. My fault… **_My fault…._**

_Get out… Get out… Get out… Get out… Get out… Get out… GET OUT… GET OUT…. __**GET OUT!**_

And I didn't realize I was saying the words aloud, until my voice reached a yell, and a shout, and a scream….

…and then suddenly I was on my feet, somehow…. Shoving at the vampires who surrounded me, shoving them away, and screaming at them, to "**_Get out!_**" and throwing things, and screaming, and screaming, and screaming…

…and then they left, none protesting, all shooting me undeserved worrying looks, but I didn't deserve them, and I was screaming…

The door slammed, and I collapsed on the ground, the numbness still there, all the emotions locked away, and me with them…

I could hear the vampires behind the door, and I yelled at them to go away- to leave me alone- and they left…

"**_…_**_Billy Black, Quil Ateara, Embry Call…._"

**_The pack._**

I screamed, and with strength I didn't know I possessed, I slammed my fist into the screen, punching straight through, my knuckles instantly cracking and splitting, but I could still feel nothing… And I wanted to feel _something-_ _anything_, anything other than this horrible _void,_ and there was _nothing_ there for me to hold onto… I was just falling… falling like there was nothing beneath me, and I was drowning, and burning, and freezing all at the same time while felt _nothing…_. And perhaps I was going insane, and I would have preferred it…

Somehow I ended up with a bottle of spirits in my hand, the minibar emptied and thrown across the room, and I wanted to feel _something,_ and the vague memory of the fire burning down my throat as I drank vodka for the first time… and it was so _tempting…_

The first swallow sent the liquid burning down my throat like tongues of liquid fire, and the _feeling_ seeped back into my veins, and then I could not help the next draught, or the next after that.

~~~(o.O)~~~

**_Caius_**

The door went flying off its hinges, smashing against the floor as I entered her room, the heavy scent of blood and… _alcohol?_ was over powering, and almost rendered me dizzy.

Her entire room was destroyed, the furniture destroyed and slashes in the fabric of the bed and chairs made by what looked like a knife.

Isabella was standing in the middle of the room, her hair tattered and ragged, eyes glazed and beyond reason.

The stench of spirits on her breath almost made me take a step back. The familiarity of the situation was almost overwhelming.

"What?" Isabella snapped, her eyes cloudy and unfocused, and yet at the same time demanding. "You… you know that's now the seventh time that door's b-been br'ken down huh? " Her voice slurred, and trailed together.

"You- you're drunk." I stated.

"Uh huh? What's wrong with that huh? I'm j-ju…just a useless h-human r'ght? You said it y'rself months ago… W-well here I am b'ing human huh? I'm useless, and I'm going to stay useless… and I'm _sick _of people dying around me…"

She giggled suddenly, such an unexpected and horrific sound of madness, that for the first time in over four centuries, I was afraid. Truly afraid.

"A-and I just h'd an idea… Guess what it is… GUESS!" She giggled again, and it was all I could do to not retreat. I had never seen her so dangerous, and yet so hopeless and weak…

"D-d-doesn't matter anyw'y… s'all goods, I'll tell you d'n't worry… Y' you should totally change me into a vampire right? Coz… coz then I'll be all sparkly, and all the people will be going all 'ooohh look, a sparkly vampire…' and stuff…."

An immense wave of pity washed over me, a foreign emotion, yet uncontrollable as I watched the girl giggle in her drunken stupor. "Isabella, I don't think that-"

"_CHANGE ME!_"

The yell took me by surprise, forcing me back a step as she suddenly glared at me, her eyes startlingly clear and bright. "Fucking _change me into a vampire already_! It's what you want right? It's the fucking law isn't it? I'm useless, you said it yourself- a useless human who should have run the first day I met your kind- and you know what? You were right! You were fucking right! I should have run, I should have run, and tripped, and _died_, and that would have been best for everyone wouldn't it? It's my damned fault that they're dead, and I'm just so sick of it all, and I want to hunt them down, and I want to tear Victoria's head from her shoulders, and I want to _burn _her, and _all _of them, and I am _sick_ of being the pathetic human! So just blasted _bite_ me already, and change me into a vampire, and _follow_ your Volturi asshole's laws… I am going to _burn_ them, and I _want_ to burn them…."

Her eyes were flaming, the brown could almost have been red, driven out of her alcohol induced stupor they were still crazed though, still burning with a hate that rivalled mine all those centuries ago….

"Bella- You don't know that this is what you wan-"

"Oh so now it's _Bella_ now? You know what? _Screw _you, screw _all _of you! I've had enough of your _pity,_ enough of all of this to last a lifetime! It's my fucking choice! MINE! First it's crazy vampires chasing me all over the world, and I am _sick_ of running, I'm _sick_ of being the damsel in fucking distress, and it is MY choice! I want to fight, I want to fucking _tear their heads from their shoulders, and __**burn them**__! _I am _not_ some kind of child you shove in a room and play with and expect them to go along with everything you tell them- _this is my fault_! Didn't you see the photos? Didn't you see the pictures of what I've done? Do you know that right now I'm actually homeless?"

She laughed- not a giggle, a maniacal laugh, high-pitched and insane. "I'm _fucking h_omeless, and I have _nowhere _to live! Carlisle, Esme, Alice, Jasper, Edward, Emmett, Rosalie… My dad, my mum… They're all _dead_, and I can do _nothing_ about it, but sit here, be a pathetic m_ortal_ and get _drunk_! Do you have _any_ idea of how disgusting I am right now?"

She shook her head, eyes still frighteningly bright. "You might as well do me a favour and kill me right now you know that? I can't _feel __**anything**_**! Nothing!** I can't even taste anymore!"

She flung away the bottle, and it smashed against the wall.

Something nagged at me, and my eyes quickly scanned the room… How many empty bottles were there? Felix liked to keep Vodka stocked up, as it was the only spirit that he could taste, and I did recall something that Jane had told me about humans a while ago…

"I'm not stupid you know! I can _see_ it in your eyes- I can see the fucking _pity-_ I can see your _fucking _ sympathy, and I don't _fucking want it!_ Did it ever occur to you that maybe-"

Jane had said something about vodka… And that one bottle could kill a human… There were five empty bottles… seven… eight…

"-I don't want to live a long happy life and experience human _crap_?"

The scent of blood was growing stronger, and I could see her bleeding knuckles, and long gashes across her arms and stomach…

Horror and revulsion filled me as I saw the bloody and discarded knife beside an overturned dresser. _What had she done?_

…and if one bottle was enough to stop a human's heart… and Isabella had drunk eight… not counting the fact that she had practically _mauled _herself, and that I was frozen to the spot, feeling utterly blank and helpless…

"-It's all your stupid supposed 'values' and 'martyrdom' that is the supposed fucking reasoning behind keeping me human- well I'll show you human!"

I had all but become a statue, only watching numbly as Bella grabbed the knife from the ground, and drove it straight into her own chest, at the exact same moment her heart stopped.

* * *

**AN- Once again- Yeah. I know.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Kay, for this chapter, I just bullcrapped around for a bit, coz I really want to get to the next bit... but I didn't want to brush over the details either so if you think this chapter is crap, don't worry, I will be revisiting it later...**

**When I was writing BELLA POV, I was watching Perks of being a Wallflower, which for some random reason I found to be a really sad movie, even though I'm only 44minutes into it, so it may have affected my writing a bit... coz I'm kinda depressed right now.**

**BTW-full points to ****_lisabit_**** who has almost uncovered part of my plot for later chapters...**

**-daughterofhadesandnyx**

* * *

Chapter Twenty Two: Caius.

The blade slid out of her chest with a sickening sound of tearing flesh, and clattered to the floor as Isabella collapsed.

The first word that entered my mind was not the one that I would have thought it would be.

_Fuck._

And then the entire right side of the room caved in as Demetri burst through it snarling, his face contorted with bloodlust.

The next second he was on the ground screaming, as Jane appeared by my shoulder, her wide eyes alternating between Isabella on the floor and Demetri writing on the ground.

Felix then rounded the corner, and he tugged Demetri upright, locking him in a tight head-lock, before Jane released him from her gift.

"…what are you doing Caius? Change her now!"

Aro appeared, halting halfway down the corridor, stopping as he scented the blood, his nostrils flaring, and I could see his fists clenching as he tried to restrain himself. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't Aro who said the words, but Jane.

I was still frozen though. _For the second time, the only other person who I lov-_

"Caius! She's dying!"

Why….

Why was Jane yelling at _me_ to do it? They all knew I was hardly the vampire with the best self-control, they knew that she was probably dead right now- her heart had stopped, and it was likely that even venom couldn't save her now… It would be easier to let her die… Less complicated…

After all, if what Marcus and Aro said was true- that I _loved_ the girl, then why was I standing here- deaf and mute? Not acting instantly to save her?

Aro's voice broke in. "It's your choice Caius. We all care for her, but it is your choice… Decide now… She may be too far gone…"

_My choice?_

If I loved her, shouldn't I already be changing her into a vampire right now? Or even sobbing uncontrollably that the second love of my eternity was dying… dead?

It would be _so_ much simpler to just let her die… Let her be dead… life, or not life- but our existence could go back to the way it was before…

Empty.

That was exactly the word. Looking back at the past without the constant irritating presence of the human, I realized that all I could see was black and grey, not even white. Every day had been a forced existence, constantly trying to focus on every detail to make it through every second, every minute, every hour… And then the girl had arrived, and I hadn't noticed that it was easier, easier to not have to concentrate on _living_ my joke of an existence. I could find actual _interest_ in insulting the human, find _entertainment_ from arguing with my brothers, not just the never-ending cycle of anger and madness…

…and the guard… They had accepted Isabella as one of their own, something that had never happened before, most humans became snacks, and even the receptionists never lasted longer than a week before they either died from the guard's pranks on them, or ended up as desert when the guard got bored of them.

Isabella…. Bella… She was different.

…and if she was different, and if she meant something to me, then _why_ was I not _moving_? Why was _none _of the guard changing her instead of me?

And then it hit.

So blindingly obvious, it had always been there, just out of reach, undetectable by me, but so clear to everyone else with half a brain. Yes. I did love her.

And _everyone_ knew that I loved her, hence the fact that they stood as motionless as I did, eyes fixed on either her or I.

I loved her, and I wanted her happy, to laugh in the way that she had just two hours ago by the pond, and that meant that even if she was in constant danger, even if she was about to be torn to pieces the very next second, and she was _happy_ like that, then I could not stand in her way.

…and if she was _happy_ dead, then who was I to deny her the privilege? After all, if I did change her, would she be happy? Her entire family slaughtered, and hometown burnt down… What would she have?

_"It's rude to watch people while they're asleep." She snapped, eyes flaring with anger._

_"…you should smile more often."_

_"If you continue that way, you're going to die girl." I drawled slowly. "Why?"_

_"Ummmm, I might as well make it clear that I don't speak Italian…" "Cursed Americans."_

_"…I am not a sack of potatoes if you haven't noticed! I get nausea, notion sickness! And if you do for much more, then I will throw up on you!" Her face was green, and I had to fight the urge not to laugh. _

_"You looked like you were smoking." She said cautiously. "…so the human is not stupid after all."_

_"So seriously? You just like burst into flame?" I smirked. "Not exactly."_

_"You noticed!" She beamed, seeming strangely happy for such an occurrence. "I merely dislike the idea of you trailing after me like a vagabond…"_

_"Having fun?" She glared at me, eyes hard. "Yes. Until a few seconds ago when you started talking."_

_"Mortal, you could be torn to pieces before my eyes and I could not care less. I am merely following my orders." Oddly enough, she did not seem discouraged. "Idiot."_

_"What is WRONG with you? …even dry-cleaned that awful cloak thing of yours! I mean, seriously what is your problem with me?" "…moron is a favourite word of yours isn't it?"_

_ "…ever heard of something called knocking?" she snapped. "…you looked fine before." A smile crept across her lips as I uttered the words, and a faint blush crossed her cheeks as she ducked her head. The image was burned into my mind for the next few days. _

_"Why the HELL did you kiss me?" So she was the first human in probably the entire history of my existence to ever reject a vampire. Impressive._

_"…Caius… you piss me off."_

_"No duh. Of course I can't, because just before that wasn't really me playing- just a cyborg." Firstly, I didn't know what a 'cyborg' was, and also because the way she had looked… Her eyes closed, fingers moving gracefully- almost lovingly over the keys… Just for a second I could see Athena sitting in her place, smiling up at me…_

_"ALIMENTO COMBATTERE!" The first thought was- Italian? And the second was- genius._

_"When's your birthday?" An odd question. Not once in two thousand years had I ever been asked that, Athena had found out from Aro, not me… "…and yours?" It was odd, because instead of being polite, I was genuinely curious. _

_"…why are you smiling?" Her eyes were sparkling mischievously, daring me. My eyes glinted in response. "Give me a reason not to."_

_…and she looked just so __**happy**__**.**_

The thoughts rushed through my mind in the span of barely a second… I still have a chance to change her… But still…

Something crinkled under my foot, and automatically my eyes flashed to it. It was a piece of paper, torn in two… A sketch of unsurpassed detail, a piano and… and…

And then I decided.

~~~(o.O)~~~

**_Bella_**

My heart had stopped, I knew that much, for a split second I had _felt_ something, like someone punching a hole in my chest as my heart froze in its tracks, and then the world had gone black, and I was just so _grateful,_ so damn _relieved_, and I could feel myself slipping away, seconds passed, and the numbness was replaced with a sort of peace… It was like floating on your back in a pond… Staring as the clouds went by…

Happy memories flooded my mind… Making mud pies in the dirt with Jake. Shopping with Alice while I grumbled and moaned, but she never tired. Watching the news with Charlie, trying to appear interested, but really just focusing on staying awake. Edward giving me piggy-back rides through the forest. Carlisle stitching up my arm and telling me about his life. Emmett laughing at my clumsiness while I scowled and pretended to be offended. Jane braiding my hair and humming, acting for once like the little 15yr old she looked like. Alec, quiet Alec showing me how to cheat in Guitar Hero and beat Demetri. Demetri, throwing fits as I beat him time and time again at his own video games. Felix, running around the throne room naked, while Jane and I just laughed. Aro, weird psychotic Aro who loved FRIENDS so much. Marcus, who I hadn't seen much of lately, but was always so sweet and understanding. Caius, dripping wet, a lily-pad hanging over one ear, his ruby eyes flaring with challenge.

_Challenge accepted._

Only the black was there, and I was falling, and there would be no challenge…

My mind cleared slightly, somehow much clearer than it had been several moments ago- or was it moments? It seemed like hours- when I had been shouting and screaming… _Right then_, it had seemed right, it had seemed reasonable… It was what I had wanted… What I had said was _true_!

But… Had I really swore at Caius? Had I really called the Volturi assholes? Had I really stabbed myself? Had I really drunk _eight_ bottles of Vodka? One bottle could kill a fully grown man, and I had drunk _eight_!

Charlie would kill me! Renee would kill me….

But then they were dead. No one would be killing me either, because _I _was dead, and I didn't know whether or not that was a good thing anymore….

I would see Charlie, Renee, Phil, Angela, Embry, Quil, Billy… Maybe even the Cullens… I _knew_ they had souls… But the Volturi… Jane, Felix, Aro, Marcus, Demetri, Caius…

If I had to hang on to something…

…maybe it would have been Caius. Maybe just the look in his eyes only a few hours ago- was it really so recent? The memory seemed hundreds of years old… thousands of years old…

But it was fresh in my mind, and as I concentrated, it grew clearer.

Just for the look in his eyes alone, I regretted my actions… He probably wouldn't have cared much for me at all. Here I was, dead, something I wanted- and yet…

**_Thump_**

It was like someone swinging a hammer at a drum.

**_Thump_**

Heat raced through me, firing through my veins, like I was burning. It wasn't a comfortable heat, more like someone tying me to the stake and leaving me to burn…

**_Thump_**

What was with the thumping? NOT FAIR! Was this death? Was I going to hell? Shit.

I had committed suicide. It hadn't seemed like that right then… But I had committed suicide… Wasn't it said somewhere that if you killed yourself you went to hell?

**_Thump_**

Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit….

**_Thump_**

This was NOT what I had expected, come to think of it, I didn't know _what_ I had expected but not this…. Yeah, now the fire was burning straight through me- like someone had lit the fire INSIDE me. It burnt especially near where I imagined my neck to be, and my wrists…

**_Thump…_**

…and then maybe it was because I was finally past the point of no return, when the heat became so intense, the tongues of fire hitting me like the lashes of a whip, that for the next three days, the only thought in my head was one word.

Ow.


	23. Chapter 23

**Yup. Pretty much a useless -inbetween- chapter, but I guess it is sort of important and it does cover Bella waking up, so yeah. I kept it short, but R/R is still appreciated, XD...**

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Chapter Twenty Three: Caius

I was disgusted with myself.

If I had thought that I could have tasted Bella's blood and restrained myself- especially after two weeks _without feeding_, then I was horribly- hilariously mistaken.

It had taken both Jane and Felix to drag me from her unmoving body, and when I had regained control of my senses enough to see what I had done, it looked like her entire neck had been mauled by a werewolf, and she seemed even more dead than before.

And then Aro _congratulated_ me- sarcastically- cynically- on managing to leave her head attached to torso.

Needless to say that Jane and Felix had to double their grip on me as I attempted to do the said above statement on Aro.

That had been three days ago.

I did not hold in such sappy and ridiculously unbelievable tales of instant and all-consuming _love-_ even my and Athenadora's relationship had been hard fought for, but I swore, that the second that the human girl's heart had begun to beat once again, my own dead heart stuttered.

Bella had been placed in one of the underground rooms- the ones we used to house newborns in their first few years and Aro was fascinated by her change.

She did not scream once.

I did not know whether it was her stubborn pride, or the fact that she was incapable of screaming- but not a single sound escaped her lips. She merely lay there, her hands clenched into fists, teeth gritted in absolute frustrating determination, motionless.

Subconsciously I admired her.

I could still remember my change- even two thousand years later, the memories of burning were still painfully fresh in my mind, and like her, bound by stubbornness, I had fought to contain every scream and every sound that was proof of my torment, to not give satisfaction to the one causing me pain…

Was that what Bella was thinking?

Felix, Demetri, Alec, and basically all the guard except for Jane, who had point black refused to leave, disobeying Aro so vehemently, Aro had to give in under threat of torture from Jane- had flown to America to hunt down the Cullen's killers- this Victoria and her newborn army.

I would have gone too- but Aro had insisted, along with Marcus, that I _stay, _stay to be with the human-soon-to-be-vampire. I still cursed them. From what I knew of Bella, and from her last few moments as a human- she would not appreciate my presence at all, and neither did I see the point of being there with her. It was not as if my presence would help, nor did I feel inclined to sit there for three days doing nothing.

I may have been in _love_ but that did not mean that I would _change_.

Aro was furious, along with Marcus- who while he wore his apathetic mask, was clearly burning with fury for the slaughter of the Cullens- as both had grown rather attached to Carlisle Cullen during his stay a few centuries back. Apart from his unfortunate choice of diet, if he had stayed a few more hundred years, I well could have imagined him becoming the fourth leader of the Volturi.

Of course, while Aro was outwardly wracked with bouts of anger at the death of his friend, I could also discern that one of the main reasons for his reaction was the end of the physic girl- Alice.

As in Aro's words- "_Such a waste of that gift…. Imagine the possibilities…_"

But then my deranged brother had never been one for seeing the wider image.

I was in my study when I heard her heart speed up, morphing from a forced beat into a single sustained sound.

_3 days?_

Usually the change took at least five days- or in the case of Jane and Alec, two weeks- but 3 days had to be the fastest change that I had ever encountered.

That would interest Aro.

As calm and composed as I tried to be, I found myself yelling for Jane to bring a human, and then I was at Bella's side in less than three seconds, anxiously waiting.

It was not the time- no, it was the worst time imaginable to be thinking of it, but I couldn't help but notice that she was… for lack of a better word- stunning.

I had never noticed before, never really bothered to notice, as she was merely a human, and of no consequence, and in any case- it shouldn't matter to me, and in fact, it _didn't _matter to me, but she was _stunning._

_Not. The. Time._ I repeated angrily, as Bella's heartbeat sped up into an unidentifiable tempo even for vampire ears, rushing through the last few moments of its life.

There was no visible change with Bella, only a single second, where the room was frozen, and her heart stuttered once, and for the second time, stopped. Only this time- forever.

And then after an eternity, her eyes snapped open, and I was pinned to the wall, my throat slowly being crushed.

~~~(o.O)~~~

**_Bella_**

Well this was new.

I mean, I wasn't complaining, _at all_. The fire was gone- _thank you!_ And I would have thought that that pain was enough for a thousand hells- but I didn't want to jinx it by thinking it- so ignore that last bit….

But if I wasn't in hell any longer, where was I?

If this was heaven… Well it wasn't what I was expecting- but I'd take it any day.

I couldn't remember my last coherent thought, only the last thing in my mind had been: **_ARGHSHEHSARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG GGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOWWWW WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWEHEATEAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW OW, OW, OW OWOWOWOWOOWOWOWOWOWRAHGHEAHHHHHHHHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEE EEEWHARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HH!_**

times about a hundred thousand million.

It wasn't like some kind of weird novel where the person burning gets to describe every single second of what they experienced- because come on- be realistic. I was too busy screaming my heart out in my head to compose a long lengthy pointless self-monologue.

All of that said…

My eyes shot open, the dim lights of the room blinding me for a moment- why was it so bright to me? And before I knew it, I had pinned down the nearest threat to the wall, snarling in their face.

Wait, _snarling?_

I blinked, shaking my head from side to side. "Well this is new," I said, then laughed inwardly.

My eyes refocused, and somehow I had space in my brain to think about '_Wow this is so cool! I can see everything!_' and also- '_What the hell? Shouldn't I be dead?_' and also- _'Yeah! I can move really fast!'_ and also- '_My voice sounds really weird._' and also- '_I really should be letting Caius down now._'

Caius?

**_SHIT!_**

I automatically let go of Caius, shocked at the fact that somehow I had managed to pin him up against the wall, and that he wasn't yelling at me about it.

That was when I realized.

"I'm a vampire aren't I?" I asked.

Caius eyed me cautiously, although there was something weird in his look. He was staring at me differently… Different from how he usually would sneer down at me. Even when we had been getting along better, it was a habit he never dropped. Now… it was almost like he was waiting for me to start screaming and throwing a fit.

Weird.

"Coz if I am, I gotta say, this feels _weird_!" I grinned, bouncing slightly on the heels of my feet. Just to test it out, I began snapping my fingers, the beat, which I was going by would have been too fast for me to identify when I was a human, but now I could still hear it… I began tapping my foot so fast it became a blur, then punched a wall. My fist went straight through like it was paper, and I snickered. "I could get used to this."

"Um, Bella…"

The word 'Bella' sounded weird on Caius's lips. Like he didn't call me if often… I couldn't remember. That was weird too…

"…you aren't.. You don't…"

I raised my eyebrows. From what little I _could_ remember, was that Caius didn't stutter, _or _mumble.

There was the sound of footsteps, and suddenly two other vampires appeared in the room. Definitely weird. Usually weren't vampires meant to be completely silent? I never before could have heard their footsteps…

"Amazing…" breathed the vampire that was Aro.

I didn't know why I was all so 'amazing' only that I didn't like the staring.

"Amazing _what_ exactly?" I demanded, glaring at the lot of them. Aro, Marcus, Caius, Jane…

Aro cocked his head to the side like a curious child. I almost sighed in relief. _Finally_ someone was acting like they usually would. Maybe the world would start turning again. "You don't feel thirsty at all?" he asked.

_Thirsty?_

As the word registered, a blinding pain tore through my throat, a dull ache, and as I breathed in, it was like sucking in a handful of flames, along with the intense urge to _kill_?

~~~(o.O)~~~

I blinked.

How did I get here?

The simple jeans and shirt I was dressed in were perfectly clean, no evidence of what I had just did… What I had just done…

What had I done?

I couldn't remember… I couldn't remember so much it was like I had a block in my head, hiding everything I needed to know behind it. Did vampires get headaches?

But I could remember.. I could remember the absolute uncontrollable _need_ for the blood of the man who was standing next to Jane, and then I had been pouncing on him, snapping his neck neatly and burying my teeth into his throat like I had been doing it all my life…

I dropped the body, now lifeless, but the regret that I thought would have overwhelmed me didn't come. There was just a faint hint of guilt, but not any more than I would have if I had just killed a cat… (Sorry to cat lovers, I am actually one myself, but I didn't really want to go over the whole 'guilt' thing, because the main point is Caius/Bella, not really Bella/Oh-crap-I-just-killed-someone, I-feel-so-guilty, okay?)

"See?" said Aro, like he was proving a point. "So well controlled… It usually takes years to perfect the feeding technique…"

…the hell?

I did not call that 'well controlled', I lost it! I lost it and just killed a guy right then and there…

Speaking of killing…

A memory returned to me- Carlisle talking about the guilt of killing, not wanting to take a life… What would he say? What would Edward say? Alice? Emmett? Rosalie? Esme? Jasper? "Shit!" I swore. I could remember that I didn't care about Edward in that way anymore… But I still doubted that he would take my vampirezation nicely.

"Where's Edward? I need to talk to him… Shit, I need to _explain_ things to him… And um, if Carlisle's here, please…" I struggled for words. "…just please don't tell him… What I've done yet… Please?"

I didn't understand the look that Aro and Caius exchanged, only that the smile melted off Aro's face like wax, and Caius's face became shocked.

"She doesn't remember."


	24. Chapter 24

**Sorry it has been so long (an understatement I know) but had a lot of stuff going on, and I was working on my other story -Light Shines Brightest in the Darkness- trying to hit 150 000 words :) even though the first few chapters are a bit boring... in any case, here is the next chapter, hopefully you like it...**

**REVIEW! :):):):)(:(:(:(:**

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Chapter Twenty Four: Caius.

"You know, I've finally figured out why most of you Volturi don't like F.R.I.E.N.D.S," said Bella, "I mean, come on- it's an American sitcom, and you're Europeans! I don't know why it hasn't occurred to me before-"

The door shut behind me, and although I could still hear her voice clearly through the two foot thick stone wall, it was slightly muffled.

Aro and Marcus faced me. Jane had remained in the room to distract Bella, which was something I was oddly grateful for.

It wasn't actually that surprising- even though that was belayed by the feeling of shock freezing my non-existent blood in its veins, after all, most newborns forgot all their human memories in the pain of the transformation- there were obviously many exceptions, but there was almost always slight memory loss… only this time it was different.

Abandoning pride, I slumped against the wall and slid to the ground, resting my head pointlessly against the wall. "What do we do? What do I do?"

"You could always just get an annulment."

I stared at Aro. "_What_? We're not married!"

He blinked, seemingly confused, then his eyes focused. "Oh, no, I was just talking about Rachel and Ross. You see they got married in Vegas, and woke up the next morning and-"

"Aro, I do not care for your _Rachel_ and _Ross_ and whatever they do in Vegas, Bella doesn't _remember_ that almost everyone she has known in her painfully short life is dead!"

Aro's expression sobered slightly, but not enough to satisfy me.

Of all of the things to happen, this was one of the most complicated.

It did not help either that Bella seemed to be _enjoying_ herself. She bounced around the stone cell and chatting to Jane like Heidi when she was introduced to a clothes store and a unlimited credit card.

Yes, I knew what a credit card was. Blame the insufferable mortal- now immortal, girl who was blissfully unaware of her past misery three days ago.

It was so damn fucking complicated, yet so damn fucking simple at the same time. Just let the girl forget about everything that had happened in her past life and move on, making it a much simpler and easier path without all the obstacles that would come if she remembered…

…and then there was the damn conscience that I had developed, the stupid damn voice in the back of my mind telling me that it was taking advantage of her- and that if I truly loved her then I should explain to her what she had forgotten and stick with her throughout the various stages of grief _growing closer as a couple_.

I snorted inwardly. Damn Bella for teaching me sarcasm. In fact now that I thought about it, most of what was in my thoughts was influenced by her… the incessant swearing, the way I _dressed_, the way I _acted…_ Horrible.

And yet somehow I didn't mind.

"Brother!"

Aro's voice cut into my thoughts, and I resisted snarling at him. "What?" I spat.

"You have two options," he began unconcernedly, "either you can let her be and let her recall her memories for herself, or pray that she never remembers- or tell her right now what she has forgotten."

I rolled my eyes at him childishly, yet somehow I did not find the will to care. "Really? It had not occurred to me." I said flatly, running a hand down my face.

The first option was the easiest. The second was the most pleasant. But unfortunately I had never made things easy _or_ pleasant for myself… ever. Not even with Athenadora.

"_If_ you love her-"

My head snapped up. "Will you _stop_, saying those infernal words_?_" I hissed. "Who gives a damn about what I want? This is about her! She has forgotten that her little town has been razed to the ground, forgotten that her precious perhaps ex-boyfriend's family has been slaughtered, and everyone she has known is mutilated and dead- and all you can think about is to make allusions as to the fact that I _love_ her-"

"**_What_**?"

With a hollow feeling of dread, I turned to come face to face with the absolute last person I wanted to hear that speech.

~~~(o.O)~~~

**_Bella_**

Unexpected.

I had been hoping it was a hoax.

Well, I mean- who wouldn't?

You don't exactly expect for one second to be talking to your BFF and then suddenly you hear three vampire lords outside talking quite loudly, and forgetting that the subject of their conversation has vampire hearing and can hear them as clear as day.

You kinda expect it to be a joke, just something for fun, only when you bust through the door and hear the end of your arch-nemesis's seemingly heartfelt speech, and see him slumped on the floor with the two other vampire lords with sombre expressions on their faces, you can't help but realize the worst.

Especially when all your memories come back full force.

And then suddenly I could remember everything- everything from three days ago- only this time the memories, hazy as they were, were in full clarity, and suddenly the full meaning of everything that had happened- everything that I had heard just then…. hit me.

Call it a delayed reaction.

I was very good with those.

A very delayed reaction.

So let me tell you something about the way a vampire's mind works. As a basic sketch- there's a lot of room to think. So while 90% was still trying to process information, 10% was talking to me very rapidly.

For instance: Everyone I know dead. Check. Place I called home, burnt to the ground. Check. Kind of- ex-boyfriend's family, heads ripped off. Check. Guy who is meant to hate my guts and want to kill me 24/7 and is very vocal about it (who also happens to be around two thousand and seventy years older than me) happens to say that his brothers think that he is in love with me.

Yeah. A very delayed reaction.

So.

I kind of expected for myself to start screaming and crying and breaking stuff like I remembered three days ago. I had been drunk… In any case however, that wasn't what I did.

It occurred to me that Jane was still standing behind me, and the three vampire kings were still in front of me, staring, gauging my reaction.

In the end, I had no reaction.

"I think I need to take a walk." I said in a voice that didn't really sound like mine- all strangled and forced, yet also flat and toneless at the same time.

And then I ran.

It was the first time that I had ever moved so fast in my life- just flat out running, using all my pent up strength, pushing myself as fast as I could go- and yet I wasn't even marvelling at the way the walls and corridors shot by, every detail being caught by my new vamp eyes, wasn't even marvelling that when I passed a sunlight window, my skin caught on fire… I was just running.

I ended up in my room.

It must have been repaired since I had last been in it, because the place stank of bleach, which seared up my nostrils, and all the broken and slashed furniture had been replaced.

It was nice to imagine that the Volturi cared that much.

I didn't know why I was there- heck, every inch of me wanted to bust out of the castle, to run down the streets of Volterra and escape in full view of the sun, where everyone could see the new sparkling me… get torn to pieces for exposing their kin- no. For exposing _my_ kind to mortals.

I shook my head in fast motion. I had already tried committing suicide once- I wasn't going to be doing it again…

They really _were_ dead.

Before… before it hadn't really even seemed real, it all just seemed like I was staring through a glass wall at before, like a dream.

Only now it was so real- so real, and yet so impossible at the same time.

Somehow, I ended up on the roof.

I didn't really understand how it happened, but one second all I wanted was to _get out_, and then I ended up on the slanting tiles of the roof, the dimming dusky sunlight glinting dully off my skin, my knees pulled up to my chest, and staring out into the featureless sky.

And then my new stupid sensitive ears picked up a soft footfall across the tiles towards me.

Somehow I knew it was Caius.

It didn't really surprise me somehow.

I couldn't bring myself to care.

He didn't say anything, just sat down next to me, his eyes fixed on the sky too.

I was uncharacteristically grateful for his silence. I couldn't bring myself to think about his supposed 'love' for me- it seemed out of character, and I didn't even want to approach the idea. He had his secrets, and I'd practically just lost everything that I'd ever known.

Call it self-pity, but, well, sue me. I'll tear your throat out.

"What do you want?" I asked dully, never taking my eyes off the sky.

He didn't answer for a moment, not looking away either. "You know, when I was a boy, I had always wanted to be a solider," he began unexpectedly, somehow even managing to startle me from the pit from where I was sitting. "I loved Rome, and I wanted to serve it in any way I could, perhaps I was a patriot- in part at least- my little brother, or rather half-brother as my father had many wives- Julius, he worshiped every step I took, he followed after me I suppose, we both wanted to make Rome great."

I didn't know where this was going- why Caius was telling me his life story… but it was a distraction. It was a story I could immerse myself in, instead of my own sea of self-pity and regret.

"I began training when I turned seven, and joined the roman army when I turned fourteen. By seventeen I was the youngest general in the Roman army, and my hands and sword were already stained red. You do not gain such a position with your hands clean… That was the year Aro was born… The opposing army's feared my name, and I felt like I was invincible- yet I was not arrogant, unlike Aro is now- only one night, on a raid to a small village just outside of Rome, it was a small assignment, only an escaped criminal headed for the arena, and I imagined that he would be simple to capture.

Unfortunately though, when we arrived, the man was already dead, and my men fled at the sight of something that looked like a demon bending over the corpse of the criminal. It was, as I soon discovered, a vampire.

Of course, like a fool, I attacked it, and my sword shattered against his chest. He must have liked my spirit…"

Caius's lips curved upwards in a cynical smile.

"-because instead of snapping my neck, he decided to turn me. I burned… I burned for five days… I didn't scream- didn't give the satisfaction of my screams… When the haze and the burning stopped, the other vampire had left, and I imagine I was the most uncontrollable newborn in past and present existence.

I destroyed over twenty towns sating my thirst. After all, I'd killed dozens before under orders when I was a human, and now I was stronger, faster… and it was a necessity. Perhaps it was a blessing that I ran north, instead of south to Rome… It took me twenty years to reign my thirst in, and then my thoughts turned to my brother. I had heard of Julius Caesar, risen to Prateorship- my younger brother- eldest after I, and I wondered, how much further he could extend the power of Rome as one of us- a vampire.

Only, when I reached Rome, he had been assassinated, and I felt no reason to remain. I had little love for my siblings, having rarely spent any time with them, therefore I felt little desire for revenge- and I would never attack or overthrow Rome- even then.

Perhaps it was on a whim that I decided to visit my old family. I did wonder after my sister, she was perhaps the only member of my family that I had missed, even slightly. She had been two when I had supposedly 'died', the first girl by my father… and I heard the senate ordering to have our family burned…

She was with Aro in a locked room conversing about the death of our brother, and while I was only planning on saving her, my dear brother took a sword to my neck."

Ordinarily, I would have fallen off the roof with shock, but somehow, nothing seemed surprising to me anymore. Whatever point Caius was getting to…

"Perhaps it reminded me of the way I had confronted the vampire that changed me that I decided to change him too. I wasted half an hour explaining who I was, causing my sister to throw a basin of holy water over me in the process… I would have turned them there, but quite honestly, logically speaking, it would have been nigh on impossible to spirit two screaming twenty four and twenty two year olds through the streets of Rome unobserved… We managed to escape just as the senate arrived, only to reach the main road into Rome and find Marcus- twenty seven, standing there barring our way. Even now, I do not know how he managed to be _there _of all places in the middle of the night… In any case, I was prepared to kill him, only to have Didyme stop me, rambling on with some nonsense about 'not him'… I could not be bothered to remain and press the point, but Marcus seemed to understand quite quickly- after all, I was meant to have been killed twenty years ago…

Details aside- we escaped- I turned them- and then we four immortals wandered the earth. We hunted and we killed- directionlessly. Aro and I could not help thinking back to our late brother- a mere mortal, and yet he had been emperor of Rome…

And then we came across a coven of vampires- older than we ourselves, not nomads- but permanently settled in a castle in the depths of a city. They hunted at night, preying the dark streets for lonely passer-by's. The Romanians.

We overthrew them with surprising ease- and then the idea came to us of building the Volturi. Most of the original guard did not last long- killing each other off, or trying to rebel, causing us to have to end them…

And I was in Britain in 1002AD, looking for mortals that looked like they showed promise, and then I met her."

This was it. It was in the way that his face suddenly blanked and became emotionless. This was what it was all about… and I had a feeling that this, along with all the vampires I knew- this story would not be one of the happy ones, not even close. It was _Caius _after all.

"Athenadora. I suppose you have heard of her."

His face twisted slightly, and I tried not to wince at the expression.

"She was the daughter of a earl, her mother had recently passed away, her father buried his grief war, as did her brothers… when she left with me, she left nothing behind."

He paused, and I could tell he was editing. Editing out all the memories, all the details that probably felt like a rusty sword slicing straight through him when he thought of them… and in that way I could relate.

It felt like that now really. Trying to think about Charlie… Renee… Even the happy memories- well, they hurt the most. Remembering dancing in the rain with Renee when I was four, giggling when I stomped in puddles, trying to watch a football game with Charlie, and nodding off in the corner while he cheered on enthusiastically, oblivious. Then there was the playing in the mud with Jacob, exhausting shopping with Alice, studying with Angela…

"She was…"

He paused again, and I couldn't help but feel… sorry? No. Not sorry, but understanding. It was probably killing him to tell me this, I still didn't know what point he wanted to make, or whether he was trying to just distract me with a story that would probably be more depressing than mine.

"In any case," he continued, "She was… everything. I… I _needed_ her, it wasn't like bloodlust- or plain instinct- I lived on her smiles, on her words… She was the one… In an ironic way, she was both my maker and destruction.

We were… I married her after a century, and for four hundred years…"

He stopped abruptly, his eyes suddenly strangely bright, his ruby eyes skyward, only this time, I felt that it was only to avoid my gaze.

"It was two days after Aro had changed Jane and Alec. We were in the caves, hiding their bodies- after all, two screaming fifteen year olds would be rather conspicuous… Athena went for a walk, she had always been claustrophobic…"

A pained smile twisted across his face.

"I went with her… and then just several miles from where the rest of the guard were, they ambushed us- attacking her first… I was so _scared_, so… _useless_. I… I lost control, and almost burned myself to death… and then they pinned me to the ground- I could do nothing… I was too _weak_… they had her by the neck-"

"Who?"

The question burst through my lips before I could rein it in.

"_Werewolves,_" Caius snarled, the same expression on his face that I had seen so long ago when he attacked the vampire called Stefan. Cold, remote and unforgiving twisted together with heat, hate and fire.

"The filthy breed… I was on the ground, powerless… and they tore her to pieces, right in front of me- I could do nothing- not even struggle… just scream her name, over and over again… she didn't make a noise, not a single sound, she just kept her eyes on me, she had blue eyes when she was human… did you know that when we burn, we become human again for several seconds just before we turn to ash? Staring straight at me… and the worst part was, she wasn't blaming me… she was worried for _me_, even as she burned… right before my eyes, and I did nothing."

Caius's voice had been dropping lower and lower as he spoke, and it was so quiet that even my vampire ears had trouble picking up the words.

"-and maybe I would have been killed next, perhaps I even wanted to… but I wanted to kill those… those abominations… I wanted to tear their skulls from their spines, water the ground with their blood… only I couldn't, and then suddenly Aro arrived- he always had an uncanny way of appearing… he tore the beasts to pieces… and I have owed him for slaughtering the monsters ever since, yet I hate him for the same deed… I hunted the rest of the werewolves to extinction afterwards, but it wasn't the same… it was never the same again…"

He took a deep breath. "And then I changed, well I suppose I had always been that way, only by her… end, that side of me was unleashed, and became… I became everything I used to hate, maybe even without realizing it."

He took another breath. "And so time passed- we all moved on… in some way."

"-and then when we were at our weakest, the Romanians returned, having formed alliances with some passing nomads, they sought to reclaim their city… and then Didyme was killed before Marcus's very own eyes… and then Marcus sort of… lost it a bit I suppose.

And then you came along."

A wry smile seemed to crawl reluctantly across half of Caius's face, but it wasn't whimsical, or wistful, or even remotely happy, more like an acknowledging of the fact was all.

"Painfully annoying, blindingly frustrating and everything I despise in a person-"

"You have a point?"

"-and yet somehow, inexplicably, for whatever reason- this is _not_ how I wanted you to find out- hell, if I had my way you'd never have found out in the span of around say… a few centuries or so… but- whichever way you put it, it ends up sounding the same… Isabella, I love you."

**_Aro_**

Marcus laughed.

It was a full hearted deep _laugh_, a sound I had not heard from him in over a millennia.

The sound even jerked me from watching Monica and Chandler coo over their twins.

"Brother?" I asked.

Marcus shook his head, a smile playing about face, for a split second resembling the cheerful man I had known all those years ago. "Finally."

"What… Ah." I felt a similar smile mirroring his creep across my face. "Finally indeed."


End file.
